Ashes Of The Past
by PurpleandBlackAttack
Summary: Moving on is a simple thing. What it leaves behind is hard. Luzon learns this the hard way as a Fire Nation defector who decides to help the Avatar. OC/Azula.
1. Tables and Mail

It's a busy day today at the restaurant. Omashu's lunch hour is infamous around the Earth Kingdom for being very hectic and fast-paced. Almost every single table is full, and I've been running back and forth, from patron to patron, gathering dishes, placing orders, and running back to the kitchen to repeat the process. The smells of fish, fresh meat, and tea fill the whole room, and the colors of mustard yellow and dark green give it the signature Earth Kingdom atmosphere, much different from what I've experienced back home. The work is worth it though, I've received so many tips from the customers that I've served, that my pockets are almost full with a variety of copper, silver, and gold pieces. Eventually, there's a lull in the action now that the lunch hour is over. I find a table and sit down to enjoy some Jasmine tea; a Fire Nation favorite.

My arms are sore, and my green tunic and apron are stained with residue from food and the kitchen. Having short hair is an advantage though, so I don't have to tie it up and worry about all the safety regulations. I push the dark brown locks away from my forehead, and it barely reaches my ears on the side; very convenient. Drinking the wonderful beverage immediately reminds me of home, and how homesick I am. Missing the dark reds and black colors that adorned all the buildings and walls, and how energetic and strong-spirited the citizens were. However, it also brings me hate and anger, of how a power-crazy leader has killed so many thousands of innocents, an entire culture, just so he could be the ruler of the world that by the time he finished conquering, would be almost burnt to a crisp. He would even duel his own son in an Agni Kai, and banish him, just for talking out of turn. That was the tipping point for me. My best friend, Zuko, who I basically grew up with, has been gone for years, and I couldn't stand living in such a vile, hated, dishonorable place.

My father was one of Firelord Ozai's most trusted advisors, and I lived the good life; life in the palace. My mother was just a simple seamstress, and, according to the many stories they've told, fell in love at the academy, married as soon as they were allowed, and have been together ever since. They named me Luzon, after my mother's grandfather, a nobleman in Sozin's era. Being the oldest of three children, and at the age of 16, I basically was the man of the house, as my father was often at meetings, and doing work for the Firelord. I have two younger siblings, a girl, Riza, who's 14, and Kuzon, 9, who was named after my great-grandfather's best friend. When I told them my plan, all of them, except my father agreed to leave. He decided it was best not to go, as he was Ozai's most trusted advisor, and him leaving would be worse for our family, as they were sure to track us down. He stayed, and later I learned he was imprisoned for a month, and later freed, with Ozai exhibiting a rare display of mercy. He had learned from my father that I had a special "relationship" with someone very close and important to him, and that if my father was killed, it would deeply hurt that person in question. My father was freed, returning to his old position, I managed to get my family to Ba Sing Se, and I moved to Omashu, looking to make an honest living away from that huge city.

As I finished my tea, I turned to the window, and saw a rather scruffy looking old man, walking slumped over, accompanied by two teenagers, dressed in deep blue, obviously for the cold weather. I assumed that they were this old man's grandchildren. "Finally, a place that isn't packed with hundreds of people; I'm starving!" I heard the boy say. I could already tell that the cooks in the back were going to have to prepare ten pounds of meat. As the trio sat down, I made my way over to them, and the boy, who looked about my age, was getting more excited by the second, now that he learned that he was going to be fed soon. Surprisingly, the old man spoke up first, and as I got closer, I could tell that it was one of the worst disguises I've seen in my life. I could easily see his weird blue arrow tattoos that adorned his body, and he was obviously no older than 12 or 13. And as I got closer to the two "grandchildren" had much tanned skin, and I noticed the girl's necklace, obviously hand carved and very special to her culture. The boy was an air bender, and the two teens were obviously from the Water Tribe. Spirits only know how the Avatar has reappeared, and why they're in Omashu.

As I was amazed at my discovery, mouth agape and staring, I hadn't noticed that the boy was blabbering away about his order. As soon as I snapped back to reality, the young boy got a little harsh. "Hey! I just ordered enough food to put your place in business for a whole year, how about some quality service!" he complained, and he was met with a look from the girl. They were obviously siblings.

"Oh, right… sorry. What will it be?," I answered, still shocked, but with a subtle smile on my face.

"I'll have two servings of the roast duck, pork, and chicken, a large bowl of rice…" I immediately cut him off, as it was too much to remember without writing down, which I hated.

"Tell you what," I began, "I'll give you two servings of every meat dish on the menu for the price of one. Consider it making up for the terrible service. Besides, it's worth it, I never go a day without the roast duck." I said, with a chuckle and a smile. The boy looked like he was about to faint, and nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Now this is my kind of man! A fellow meat connoisseur, if I do say so myself. Tell me good sir, what is the best way to get a… hands-on experience of the mail delivery system?" he asked, with a nudge of my arm and some funny facial expressions.

"How about this, you guys are my last order of my shift, so once the food comes out we'll sit down and have a chat. Sound good?" The three nodded, the water tribe boy the most enthusiastically. "Before that, let me finish taking your orders. What about you sir? What would you like? " I said, looking over to the Avatar in disguise.

"I'll have some of these ol' steamed vegetables and rice. Nothing gets better than that! Kids these days, with their meat and exotic dishes…" he said, with a hilarious, yet terrible impersonation of an elderly man.

"And you, ma'am?"

"I'll just have some steamed rice and some jasmine tea. Thanks."

"I'll bring the rice and vegetables out first. It might take…awhile for the meat to be done." I said. As I walked away from the table, and gave the order to the cook, who visibly groaned, I became lost in thought once again. Why was the Avatar in Omashu? Why is he traveling with two teenagers from the water tribe? Where has he been the last one hundred years? The questions flooded my mind, and before I knew it, the food was ready. Surprisingly, the meat was prepared just as fast as the vegetables and rice.

I made my way over to the table, where the young air bender was talking enthusiastically to his traveling partners. As soon as the water tribe boy caught my eye, his expression lightened up extremely and a huge smile was plastered over his face. I presented the food to the group, and pulled up a chair to the table. The Avatar and the water tribe boy looked pretty hungry, and were diving into their food. However, the girl was just picking at her food and kept looking at me, and was just a little odd.

"So, what are your names?" I asked. "And I mean your real names; your grandfather's disguise over here is terrible." I laughed. They immediately stopped eating and stared at me, obviously surprised by how bad the air bender's disguise was.

"Don't worry, you can trust me. I'm just a waiter. I'm not going to hand you over to the Fire Nation." I said. As they looked to one another, contemplating revealing their identities, the boy finally gave in.

"My name is Sokka." He motioned to his sister, "This is my sister Katara, and we're from the Southern water tribe. That's our grandfather. His name is too long to pronounce."

"It runs in the family!" Katara quickly added. I laughed, not fooled by their poor attempts at concealing the Avatar's identity.

"Look around," I said "there's nobody here. The cook is pretty much deaf. I know who you are, Mr. Grandfather. Question is, why are you here, and what took you so long?" Finally, the boy relented, and decided to tell the real story.

"My name is Aang, and as you've already figured out, I'm the Avatar. The last air bender to be precise. We're just passing through, honestly. I wanted to show my friends the mail delivery system. We're heading to the North Pole so I can master water bending."

"Okay, that answers the first question. Now, what took one hundred years? You're twelve years old for Spirits sake!"

"I was frozen in an iceberg. Katara and Sokka found me, and let me out. There was nothing I could do…" The boy visibly saddened at this, and Katara patted his back.

"There was nothing you could do Aang, it's not your fault, no matter what anybody else thinks."

"She's right. I don't blame you. Some people may feel different though." I said, concern falling over the young boy's face.

"Just find a better disguise, you'll reveal yourself sooner rather than later."

"Thanks," Aang said, comforted by my kind words. "What's your name anyway? What's your story?" I tensed up at this. Should I reveal that I was Fire Nation? Will they attack me? I really don't want to end up on the bad side of the Avatar. I decided to take a chance.

"What I'm about to tell you can't leave this room, and you have to promise to trust me? Understand?" I said, sternly and matter-of-factly. There was no way that the second largest city in the Earth Kingdom can find out that someone from the Fire Nation was here the entire time, much less be talking to the Avatar.

"I promise," They all said in unison. I exhaled, and began.

"My name is Luzon. I'm from the Fire Nation. I defected three years ago, along with most of my family, who are living in Ba Sing Se. I've been working at this restaurant ever since." Sokka's mouth dropped, Katara gasped, and Aang jumped.

"W-why did you defect.. " Katara asked, her voice still full of shock and amazement.

"I hated what my country was doing to the rest of the world. I would rather die honorably, than be the king of an empire who killed millions of innocents and ruled unfairly," I said, my voice shaking, and my fists clenching. I absolutely hated Ozai. Aang smiled at this.

"Good to know that there are still good people from the Fire Nation these days," he said. "But why aren't you with your family?"

"I hate that city. I mean sure, the walls are great and all, but the streets are dirty, it's crowded, and there's crime everywhere. Omashu is great, especially the mail delivery system." As I finished the last of my sentence Aang brightened up even more.

"I wanted to take Katara and Sokka there right after this!" he exclaimed, getting more excited by the minute. "I used to ride it a hundred years ago. It was a blast!"

"You better believe it is," I said. An idea flickered in my mind as I looked at my bulging pockets full of tips.

"What if I told you, that I can take you there and we can ride it, no hassle?" Aang nearly fell out of his chair. Sokka and Katara were smiling brightly as well.

"That would be awesome! But… how?"

"Just watch…" I said, smirking. I motioned for them to get up, and told the cook that I would be heading home. He nodded and we made our way to the delivery system.

As we arrived, Aang was almost jumping up and down, and Katara and Sokka were standing there, mouths agape. I bet all they saw at the South Pole was ice and penguins. We made our way to the top of the system, via a huge set of stairs. As we made our way to one of the carts, an earth bender approached us. Obviously upset that some kids were up here.

"Hey! What are you doing, this is a restricted area!" he yelled, and Aang was about to speak up, but I put my hand on his shoulder. Calmly I walked up to the guard, reached into my pocket, and slipped him 10 gold pieces. These guys weren't paid very well.

"In that case… go right on ahead. Believe me, it's a fun ride," the guard said, his tone changed considerably. He nodded to me and we all stepped into a cart.

"On second thought... I don't think this is going to be very fun," Katara said, who was absolutely terrified. Sokka was almost shaking. Aang and I laughed, and we pushed our cart down the path. All of a sudden, we were rocketing down the slide, all four of us screaming as loud as our lungs allowed us to. As we approached a crossroads, I noticed that there was a stopped cart right in front of our path. I gulped, and at the last second it dropped, filled with cargo. As soon as we were about to go by, another cart appeared, and we had no chance of missing this one. Our cart smashes into the other, and we derail, skidding along rooftops, all still screaming. Our momentum carries us into a cabbage stall, and we smash through it, the merchant very upset; various shops and items whiz by, people jump out of the way to avoid getting hit. The cart hits a rock in the road, and the next thing I know, I'm thrown out, and I land with a hard thud on the ground. I land in a side alley, and I see Aang, Sokka, and Katara surrounded by guards. I curse to myself and slip away, unnoticed by the guards. I have a deep cut on my arm, and my head is killing me. Nothing some tea and medicine won't fix, I think. I just hope they don't get punished too severely.

Two Days Later

My arm is heavily bandaged, and I'm back to work again. Its lunch hour, and I'm rushing left and right, going from table to table. The restaurant is very loud, full of people talking, and it hurts my head even more. Eventually, the room clears out, and I'm alone once again, the other waiters and waitresses on their lunch break. I sit down for some tea. I breathe in and out, and notice the small flames emulating from my mouth as I try to relax. I can't believe I didn't tell Aang I was a fire bender. The Avatar's destiny is to master all four elements. After they go to the North Pole, and he masters water bending, I can become his fire bending teacher. Where else is he going to find one? As I sit and think, sipping my tea, I notice that someone is walking towards me, looking up, I nearly spit out the hot liquid, as I see Katara making her way to where I'm sitting. I can't believe my good fortune.

"Hey! Are you guys all okay? It's all my fault that you guys got arrested." I said, regret laced in my words. Katara just smiled and said something I never thought she would.

"You should come with us Luzon. Aang and Sokka really like you, and you're really a nice guy. Besides, you've got enough money to last you a lifetime here." She motions to my pocket, once again bulging with tips.

"I'd love to, Katara. I just need to talk to the cook." She nodded and I made my way to the kitchen. Opening the door, I found the fat old cook butchering some fresh meat.

"Whaddya want?" the old cook drawled.

"Uh, I'm quitting. Duty calls y'know?" I said quickly, and was met with eyes of fire.

"Quitting?! Please tell me you're fucking joking!" the cook cursed, spit flying everywhere.

"No sir, and no need to pay me, I've got enough," I said, before ducking out of the door, and running out to the street, the cook chasing me with a cleaver.

I run around the corner, dodging pedestrians and running through merchant stands, trying to evade the crazy blade-wielding cook. After awhile, I'm pretty sure his body weight worked against him, and he stopped pursuing me after a few blocks. Breathing hard and laughing, I catch my breath and go to meet up with Sokka and crew.

"These tips will be enough for me," I laughed.

"Luzon buddy! Glad to see you're okay. You ready to head out?" I nodded and smiled at Aang. I noticed that they were all in very high spirits, considering the fact they were just arrested. We left the city gates, and back across the winding bridge that led out of the city. As we made our way into the forest outside the city, I was nearly scared to death by a deafening roar and a huge beast that rose out of the bushes. Aang just laughed.

"This is Appa; he's my flying bison, and my best friend." A winged bat looking thing flew over and landed on my shoulder, looking at me curiously. I laughed, as he was obviously curious about the newcomer.

"That's Momo, he's my pet flying lemur." Aang said. I petted Momo on the head and he chirped happily.

"Guys," I began, nervous about telling them about my secret. "I know that the Avatar's destiny is to master water, earth, fire, and air. So, after we master water and earth, what about fire, you might ask?" They all looked on curiously, wondering what I was about to tell them. "Where are you going to find a fire bending master? Well… I'm a fire bender. I'm not a master, but I learned from the best." They all collectively gasped. After a moment of silence, Sokka finally spoke up.

"Well, I'm glad you're with us now. I know that you're a good guy, and it would be nice to have a fire bender that isn't trying to burn us." I nodded.

"It's nice to know you told us sooner rather than later. That really took some stress off," said Aang. I smiled and tried to climb on top of Appa. I might have hit a sensitive spot because he roared and threw me off his back. I landed on the ground with a hard thud, another headache looming. Everybody laughed and Katara helped me up onto Appa, and they were eager to continue their journey.

"Yip yip." Appa roared in response, and almost immediately we were soaring into the sunset, on our way to the North Pole.


	2. Beside The Fire

A/N: I kind of forgot to make it clear in the first chapter, but this story is going to span all three books, and maybe a little bit of something post SC. I won't be doing every episode and event, just the important ones, and maybe two episodes per chapter. This chapter takes place the night before the episode "Imprisoned." It's kind of a filler chapter. We explore Luzon's character a bit more as he explains his past to Aang Sokka and Katara.

We're flying really high. The sun has dipped below the horizon, and clouds are rolling in. The only evidence of daylight is a tiny speck of red orange in the distance, but that too has just disappeared. We're in darkness now.

"Fuck, its cold," I said, in between shivers and chattering teeth. I was only wearing my green tunic from the restaurant, and black pants. They looked exactly like the kind Sokka was wearing. How is he not freezing his ass off? I regret not buying any cold weather clothing, since it was almost always hot in Omashu, and I figured it would be the same all around the Earth Kingdom. Also, being a fire bender, I didn't take the cold weather so well. I refrained from using my bending to warm me, because it was pitch black, and I didn't want to burn anybody, or set Appa's fur on fire.

"How do you guys stand this in the South Pole? I know you have warm jackets and all, but it's almost insane to be outside in that kind of weather."

"You get used to it eventually. When your tribe is just barely clinging on to life, you have to do anything to survive, especially in those kinds of conditions," Sokka said. I could tell that he was thinking about how hard it was living there. I decided to drop the subject.

"Luzon, you're shaking like crazy!" Katara shrieked, motherly concern obviously in her voice. "Here, take my parka, I'm used to this kind of weather." She pulled her parka off and moved over to where I was on the saddle.

"Katara, I'm-"

"No! You're going to get sick. Put it on!" I relented, deciding that there was no way I could win against her. She slipped the parka over my shoulders and pulled the hood on. Immediately warmth flowed through my whole body, and my teeth stopped chattering.

"Thanks Katara." I smiled.

Just as soon as I get settled, Appa takes a nosedive into the wind once again. Flying is fun, but the sharp turns are a whole different story; my insides get all squeezed against each other and I feel like I'm going to pass out whenever Appa makes really sharp changes in direction. It's something I'll have to get used to, I guess.

There's a small clearing in the forest below, where I assume we're going to land. I can just make out a small village to my right. Maybe we'll head down there for some supplies in the morning. Appa glides down and lands softly on the ground. We all dismount, and Sokka immediately sets out to gather some firewood.

"Sokka, are you sure we need firewood? I mean, we do have a fire bender now," Aang said.

"I don't know about you Aang, but I'd like to be warm when I sleep. I don't want to have Luzon staying up the whole night with magic flames. He can just light the wood." Aang nodded, and Sokka set out to find some wood. I began to unpack the only provisions I had. We stopped in a small town outside of Omashu to purchase my personal supplies. Unfortunately, Sokka had eaten all the food again, so in the morning we would have to head into the village I saw from the sky. I made a mental note to tell Aang, so the two of us could go into town and buy supplies. Right now, I only had a sleeping bag, two sets of extra clothes, and a toothbrush. It would be enough for the night, and I had a whole bunch of money to spend. As I unpacked my things, I remembered about the wound on my arm, and went to check the bandages. They were about to come off, and were showing blood and caked with dirt. If I didn't get these changed soon, I'll most likely develop an infection. And with our ambitions of getting to the North Pole as fast as possible, me being out of action just wasn't an option. The infections here can get nasty. I saw a young healthy man get his arm amputated because he never bothered to treat a cut he received, and the infection had gotten so bad that not even the best healers in the region could save him. It was either his arm or his life.

As the three of us unpacked, I noticed a very quiet, but distinguishable sound of rocks rising, falling, and slamming into the earth. I walked over to Aang, who was lying next to Appa, staring at the stars.

"Hey, Aang, hear that?" I said, and paused to let him identify the sound. Aang furrowed his brow, and concentrated hard for a second.

"Yeah… it sounds like… rocks?" I nodded.

"That's what I'm hearing too. I think it's an earth bender."

"I don't know, the Fire Nation is awfully close. I don't think anybody would risk earth bending. They could be thrown in jail, made a slave, or worse…"

"Maybe that's why he or she is doing it now. It's the middle of the night. There's no way that the Fire Nation would patrol this area so late."

"I guess you're right."

I walked back over to my sleeping bag, and lay down, staring up at the clouds dissipating in the night sky. I could see stars, and for the first time in a while, I wasn't thinking about work the next day, or paying the rent at my small studio. I feel like I had finally found my destiny; aiding the re-emerged Avatar in mastering the elements, and not just as an accomplice, but as a friend; same with Sokka and Katara. Growing up, I always had friends. Zuko was almost like a brother to me; if one got in trouble, the other followed. If we ever fought, we would make up within minutes. I never noticed this type of relationship with his sister and her friends though. Azula was naturally beautiful, and she had everything handed to her. She was a fire bending prodigy after all. Ozai was to make her the heiress to the throne, denying Zuko's rightful place at the top. Her best friends, Mai and Ty Lee, were always with her. I think Azula thought less of them though, being non benders, and I think that their friendship was based on fear and control, rather than true feelings of camaraderie. Her relationship with Zuko was never a good one; she would always strive to one up her brother, no matter the cost. She frequently insulted him, and berated him because of his lesser abilities, despite him being older. I never liked Azula because of this. Agni and Kai only know why she had to choose me…

"Sokka, you're back!" I heard Katara say, rising up from her sleeping bag.

"Well, obviously…" I muttered. Katara shot me a look and Sokka and I both snickered.

"What took you so long?" Aang questioned.

"You have no idea how hard it is gathering good firewood using the moon as your light source; it's useless! I can't believe these trees either! Most of the wood was so bad, most of the time I was sorting through all the logs that weren't falling apart." Sokka remarked, obviously regretting that he hadn't make me stay up all night fire bending.

"Here's the wood Luzon. Work your magic!" Sokka exclaimed, relief washed over his face as he dumped the pile of wood at my feet.

"Sokka, for the last time, it's not magic. It's called bending!" Katara fumed.

"Oh, so shooting fire out of your fingertips isn't magic? Please Katara, think of a better argument." Sokka said, satisfied with his comeback.

"Don't be jealous because you can't bend Sokka. I can tell you would love to hit me in the face with some magic water, but wait! You can't." Katara retorted.

"But you just said, uh, that it wasn't magic..." I coughed meekly.

"Ha! Nice one! Sokka exclaimed, and we exchanged high fives."

This visibly angered Katara, and thes began yelling at each other, back and forth, with no stopping in sight. Aang and I looked at each other and groaned, and I motioned for him to step back. He did, and I held out my palms at the wood on the floor. I took a deep breath, and exhaled. Almost instantaneously, fire shot out of my hands and onto the dry wood, igniting it with several cracks and sparks. This startled the arguing siblings, and they finally quieted down. We all took seats around the fire, huddling near the open flame, trying to get warm before going to sleep. I could tell that nobody really wanted to sleep just yet, so I decided to strike up a conversation.

"That's a beautiful necklace Katara. Where did you get it?" I asked. She smiled, and sub consciously placed her hand over the necklace. It seemed to be a habit.

"It was my mother's. My father had given it to her when he asked her to marry him. She was killed in a Fire Nation raid when Sokka and I were little. This is all I have left of her…" Immediately, the consequences of what my country has done the past one hundred years hits home. A group of cruel, heartless soldiers marched into their village and killed an innocent mother. They most certainly killed more. I can't imagine my life without my mother or my father. I love them with all my heart, and to imagine life without one of them isn't even fathomable. Anger wells up inside me once more, further reminding me of why I defected; why I need to fight against my own country, and my fellow countrymen and women. My fists clench once again, and there's no hiding the anger I have towards my own nation.

"Luzon, please… you're a good person. I won't judge you for what your country did. You had no part of it." Katara reassured me. I looked over at Sokka, and he nodded, and I nodded back, a sort of mutual respect between two different warriors from two totally different worlds.

"Hey Luzon, what's that beady-looking thing on your wrist? I've never really seen anything like it before." Aang said. He was staring intently at my family heirloom, something that I had completely forgot about the past few days.

"It belonged to my great-grandfather on my father's side." I explained. It was a bracelet, held together by volcanic rock, with beads that were engraved with old Fire Nation art, along with various small images that represented Fire Nation customs; a comet, two balls of fire, and images of Agni and Kai made up the five beads on the bracelet. "He got it from the last Avatar, before you. Avatar Roku." Aang looked stunned, and ran over and sat down next to me, grabbing my hand and inspecting it very closely.

"You have something that belonged to Avatar Roku? That's incredible!" he exclaimed. He couldn't keep the mixture of excitement and disbelief off of his face.

"Yeah… well, my family has some pretty interesting connections." I chuckled, and this seemed to interest Katara.

"Tell us about your family, Luzon. You haven't really said much, other than that they live in Ba Sing Se. How was your childhood?" Should I tell them everything? About how my father was imprisoned, how I personally know Firelord Ozai and all of his direct family? I'll hold off on most of that. Maybe I'll elaborate about my childhood. That seems okay.

"I had the easy life growing up," I began. Memories began to fill my mind, of when I was actually proud and happy to be a Fire Nation citizen. "My father was one of the Firelord's top advisors, so we lived in the palace. I had everything you could ever want, and more. The finest silk in the world, food second to none, and people who treated you like you were part of the royal family." Everyone looked on, intent on hearing the rest of my story.

"I attended the Royal Fire Nation Academy. All the rich kids and nobles went there, and it was great. I never thought I'd say this, but I actually enjoyed going to school there. The teachers were great, the school itself was beautiful, and I had tons of friends, who, despite being the highest class, were never snobby or arrogant. When I was six, my father enrolled me in advanced fire bending classes. I was a quick learner, beating my fellow pupils easily. My master saw great things in me, and notified Firelord Ozai. He was pleased, and one day, came to visit me in one of my training sessions. It was one of the most amazing, yet scariest experiences in my whole life, seeing such a powerful and dominant man, up close, and watching me, and only me. I was so happy, as was my father. At the Academy, I also met my best friend. Prince Zuko." Their reactions varied from Katara gasping, to Sokka jumping and burning himself on the campfire. He cursed loudly, and immediately starting running water on his hand.

"What's wrong? Do you guys know Zuko?"

"Know him? He's been chasing us ever since Aang was let out of the iceberg! The guy's insane! He practically destroyed an entire island trying to capture Aang." Sokka exclaimed. He was obviously confused. How had I not known of this? I'd never heard anything about him since he was banished years ago, and nobody ever released the details of his mission to me.

"How could you possibly be friends with him? He's obsessed with Aang. He'll kill anybody just to get to him. It's only because he wants his father to accept him or something. I refuse to believe that you associated with the likes of Zuko." Katara spat. She was fuming; she had obviously had an incident with Zuko before. I didn't know what to believe. Had Zuko, the nice, hardworking teenager who was once my best friend, turn into a monster whose sole purpose in life was to kill a twelve year old kid, and kill anybody who stood in his way? Iroh would never allow this; I knew the old general too well. I just can't believe what I've just been told. As I was lost in thought, I didn't notice Aang waving his hand in front of my face. This struck me out of my stupor.

"Wha…? Oh… right…" I murmured. "I can't believe how much Zuko has changed. He was always my best friend; we would stick by each other no matter what. We ate together, studied together, practiced fire bending together… My mother loved him. She treated him like one of her own, and he treated her like his mother." I paused at the thought; tears welling up in my eyes, my throat closing up, as I thought of Ursa. The pain that her departure caused Zuko was unfathomable. It impacted me too, as I had a close relationship with her as well. Somehow, I knew Ozai had something to do with this. My fists balled up and I couldn't contain my rage anymore. I jumped up, and launched a huge wave of fire out of my hands, and the bright orange flames soared into the distance, bent on burning and destroying whatever it came in contact with. Katara shrieked, and Aang jumped up and held out his staff at me. Almost as fast as the rage and anger appeared within me, it vanished, only again to be replaced by sadness and confusion. Tears began to slowly fall down my cheeks, and Katara and Aang looked on, with sadness and pity in their eyes.

"I just… I can't believe it…" I whispered. "I can imagine Azula doing this… but…" Tears began to flow again as I thought of the Princess. At this Katara rose up and enveloped me in one of the tightest hugs I had ever received. It reminded me of my father, who was still back home, working under the tutelage of one of the most savage dictators the world had ever known. At this, the tears began to fall even harder, and I began to cry into Katara's shoulder, staining her blue shirt with damp tears and dark smudges.

"It's going to be okay. You're with us now." Katara said gently.

"Yeah, we're you're new best friends!" Sokka said, as he and Aang rose too. They all formed a tight group hug around me, and Momo came flying in, landing on my shoulder, chattering for affection. Appa lumbered over too and rubbed his muzzle against us. We all laughed and broke apart, and that's when I realized this is where I belonged; not serving merchants and security guard at some restaurant. I smiled, and everybody smiled back, their kind words reinforced in their eyes and faces.

"Well," Sokka let out a huge yawn. "I think it's time to hit the hay. I've had enough kisses for the night."

Katara shot him a look and Aang and I laughed. Before we turned to our respective sleeping bags, I walked over to Katara, and grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey Katara?" I said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. It means a lot." She smiled, and I could see the red creep up her face.

"Don't mention it."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here's your parka; I don't think I'm going to need it tonight. That sleeping bag is really warm." Katara laughed, and at this, I beckoned her goodnight, and went to wrap myself in the sleeping bag. Immediately the soft fabric of the inside of the bag made me almost instantly sleepy. I stared up at the stars, losing myself in thought once again. This is going to be amazing, I thought. We're going to do incredible things. I smiled as the blackness of sleep crept up on me once more, warm and inviting.


	3. Hunted

_**Two years earlier, approximately a month before Zuko's banishment.**_

"_See you later Zuko," I said. I need to go to fire bending practice with your Uncle._

"_Alright, but don't forget to do that report on the victory against the Air Nomads."_

"_Believe me, I won't. Master Dao will kill me, bring me back to life, and then kill me again." Zuko just laughed._

_ I made my way through the extravagant pathways to the royal palace; I couldn't help but feel uneasy. The paths were lined with extravagant plants and growth, flowers and greenery. As soon as I approached the actual palace though, the beautiful scenery was gone, replaced by barren rocks and walls; a safeguard to protect against assassins and spies. It gave me a feeling that resembled the man in the throne room. I strolled through the massive courtyard, being greeted by nobles and tourists of the palace. Everybody wanted a glimpse of Zuko, and if they got lucky, Azula. I got my own fair share of attention though, people calling out, people grabbing my robes… It was nice at first, but now it's just really annoying. Most of them just want me to tell Zuko 'I love you' for them. I don't know how he stands it._

_ I walked over to the training area in the courtyard, eager for another session with General Iroh. He never really taught anybody other than Zuko, and Azula didn't need any teaching. So, after some hard bargaining by Zuko, Iroh agreed to teach me some advanced fire bending, just as long as I joined him for tea and a game of Pai Sho afterwards. Pai Sho was the only thing I didn't enjoy; I was never any good at the game in the first place, and Iroh was basically the best player on the planet, and I was just his practice dummy. I didn't mind that much though, I loved spending time with my master, even though I would get angry at the game and almost pull my hair out in the process._

_ "Luzon, you're early." I heard a calm voice say. I turned the corner into the training area and saw Iroh sitting, sipping on yet another cup of tea, and eating a bowl of roast duck. I bowed, and he returned the gesture._

"_Yeah, well, better be early than have to face the next guard shift." I laughed. The 4 o'clock guard shift was notorious for being extra strict, as that was when Ozai would usually take a walk in the villas surrounding the palace._

"_Well since you're here early, how about we get right to it. It'll give us some extra time at the end for two games of Pai Sho!"_

_I groaned, and took off my school robes, exposing my chest, and assuming the typical fire bending stance._

"_Widen your stance! A fire bender with an incorrect stance will lose almost always. Never forget your basics, Luzon. Just because you're showing advanced skill, doesn't mean you're too good for basic technique."_

_I nodded, and adjusted my feet according to Iroh's orders. _

"_Good. Now show me ten fire fists, and five fire kicks. Let's ease into it."_

_The training area had ten dummies, each separated by about ten feet. I was twenty feet away from each one. I blasted fire out of my fists at each of the dummies, and kicked a wave of flames at the furthest five. I was shocked when the flames either fizzled out before hitting my intended targets, or missed them completely. I groaned in frustration. This is so easy? Why can't I do it?_

"_Remember Luzon, fire bending is all about drive, and heart. Think, what is your drive and motivation to hit those dummies? To improve your fire bending? To impress me? To impress any of those stupid girls in the courtyard?"_

_I snickered at the last one; those girls can get pretty stupid. I thought, what is my drive? Self-confidence? To show someone up? That's got to be it. I have to be better than anybody else. That's my drive. Whenever I trained with Zuko, we would have intense sparring duels. No one would be able to get the upper hand on the other, and most often it would end up in a draw. But now, it was just dummies. How was a dummy supposed to motivate __me? At that moment, I heard the familiar clinking of boots on the floor, and I groaned. 'Great, insane princess/girlfriend time; lovely.' _

"_Aw… little Luzon can't fire bend against some dummies," Azula chided, fake concern in her voice. "They're inanimate objects you idiot, how in the world are you going to kill an earth bender hurling a two ton rock at you?" She shook her head, making me angrier and angrier by the second. "You're worse than Zuzu." Even when she was insulting me, she looked beautiful, no matter how much it angered me._

"_Azula please," Iroh said, "Luzon is just having an off day. Give him some time and he'll be back to his usual form."_

"_Are you kidding me? He's a horrible bender, there's no way he'll ever become a soldier."_

_At this, I roared in rage and hurled ten huge waves of fire out of my hands and feet, each one hitting their mark perfectly, incinerating the dummies. Azula smirked, and Iroh raised his eyebrows, surprised that I was so proficient, and all I needed was some morale damage by an insane girlfriend._

"_Excellent job Luzon! There's the motivation and heart I was talking about." Iroh praised. I managed a smile, but deep down, I was wondering, 'Does Azula really think that?' No, Azula always lies._

"_Hmm, you might have some talent after all Luzon. Still, you're a second-rate bender at best." Azula said. She was obviously pushing my buttons, so I walked over to Iroh, and asked him a question I've been dying to ask for months._

"_How can I bend lightning?" Iroh choked on the duck he was eating._

"_Luzon, are you insane? You can't bend lightning yet. You're far below that level." Iroh looked at me like I had just turned into a water bender._

"_Master, please, I feel I'm motivated now. I just want to try." I was almost begging. I needed to be on Azula's level. Iroh sighed, agreeing to my special request. He stood up, and began making flowing, circular movements with his arms._

"_The key to bending lightning is to have no emotion whatsoever, and to be at an absolute state of peace of mind." As soon as he said this, the old general took a deep breath, and shot lightning out of his fingertips, blasting one of the dummies over the wall. I was in absolute awe of this ability, and its sheer power and destruction. _

"_Remember Luzon, no emotion, and absolute peace of mind." I took a deep breath, and started making the same motions that Master Iroh was doing. Right before I was to shoot the lightning out of my fingertips, I glanced over at Azula, who was watching intently with a smirk on her face. The competitive spirit rose up in me once again, and I blasted the lightning out of my fingertips. A small spark traveled about two feet, and the rest of the energy recoiled back into my body, sending waves of electricity and pain throughout my limbs._

_ I screamed in agony, toppling over to the floor, still feeling the electricity coursing through my body. It felt like all of my organs were on fire. I could hear Iroh's heavy footsteps rushing to me, checking if I was okay._

"_Luzon! Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah…" I moaned "I think I'm okay." Iroh breathed a huge sigh of relief; a blast more powerful probably would've killed me on the spot._

"_You're lucky you didn't harness all of its power," he explained. "The best healers of the water tribe probably wouldn't be able to save you." I looked over to Azula, who had a look of worry on her face for an instant, but as soon as she saw I was going to be okay, the concern vanished, and turned into another smirk._

"_That's too dangerous for you Luzon. Leave the lightning for the real benders." She could just never stop insulting me, could she?_

"_Shut up Azula…" I groaned. I was in no mood for this._

"_Are you upset? I have just the thing for injured pride and body." A mischievous smile fell on her face, and I knew exactly where she was going. I smiled at this, and Iroh rolled his eyes._

"_What about our tea and Pai Sho?" he questioned, although he didn't really care about that right now, I think he's just glad I was safe._

"_Master, I'll play three games of Pai Sho with you tomorrow, and I promise I'll try my best." Iroh smiled at this, and nodded._

"_Maybe you'll beat me, Luzon. I'm on kind of a rough streak right now." Yeah right. I rose up and bowed to the old fire bender, and set off for Azula, who was making her way towards the palace. I snuck up behind her and hugged her around the waist. At this, she spun around, heated up her hands and placed them on my bare chest. It wasn't hot enough to burn, but I got the message and winced._

"_What did Nobleman Dao tell you?" she shrieked, "No public displays of affection! If my father heard about this…" she trailed off. I laughed and raised my hands in mock defense._

"_What about private displays?" I teased. She groaned, and looked like she was going to laugh, but held it down at the last second._

"_Boys…" she murmured._

_We made our way up the stairs and through the gallery, where portraits of all the previous fire lords were displayed. Azula's room was down the hall and around the corner. I had been there so many times I could get to her door with my eyes closed. She pushed open the door and closed it behind her, and all of a sudden, a glint of pure desire filled her eyes. She made her way over to me and it all went black._

"Luzon… Luzon, wake up." I could hear a faint voice that sounded nothing like Azula's. It sounded very caring, very sweet, and very motherly.

"Why would I want to wake up Azula?... I never went to sleep." I mumbled.

"Azula? Who's that?" I heard the voice say. At this, my senses became clearer, and I realized that I wasn't in Azula's room, in the Fire Nation, and sleeping in the best bed known to man. I was on the ground in the Earth Kingdom, in a fuzzy sleeping bag.

"Ugh… go away… more sleep."

"Luzon, it's almost 10 o'clock. You need to get up; Sokka too." Katara insisted. The sun was already high in the sky, its bright rays temporarily blinding me. So much for firebenders rising with the sun. The smoldering embers of the fire still sizzled, and almost all of the wood was charred and destroyed. Heaving a sigh of protest, I slowly rose up and out of my bag, rubbing my eyes and slowly adjusting to the light. My stomach grumbled and I finally realized how hungry I was. I grabbed my stomach, and looked over at Sokka. He noticed my hands on my empty belly, and gave me a look that said '_me too.' _

"Hey guys, look at this!" Aang said. He was playing a game with Momo that involved shooting huge gusts of air under the lemur's wings that made it bob up and down like it were in the water. We all turned back around, ignoring Aang's feeble attempt at entertainment once more.

"Nobody likes to have fun around here…" he mumbled.

"We're headed into town Luzon," Sokka reminded me. "Are you coming?"

"Uh, sure. Give me a second to pack though; don't want anybody running into my stuff while we're gone." I rolled up my sleeping bag and put it in my backpack. I hoisted the straps onto my back and we all set off for the village.

It wasn't a very long walk into the village; however we had to keep going around rockslides from the collapsed mines in the area. One of these mines is going to hurt someone, I thought. As we made our way into town, I couldn't shake the feeling that it just wasn't right. I turned a corner, and almost came face to face with an entire squadron of Fire Nation soldiers.

"Shit!" I moved everybody behind a couple of boxes where they were concealed in the shadows. They would obviously be suspicious of someone from the water tribes, and a kid with air bender tattoos.

"This place is crawling with Fire Nation soldiers." Sokka murmured.

"Yeah? No shit." I retorted. Sokka just rolled his eyes and we kept looking on.

"Listen, we need supplies," Aang whispered. "Luzon, you're the only one in Earth Kingdom clothes. Just buy some supplies and walk back to camp when you're done." I nodded, and motioned for the three to head back to camp. As I stepped out from behind the boxes, I felt like every soldier in the village was staring at me. Somehow, they knew something wasn't right. I strode over to the nearest merchant cart, and smiled at the man running it. He just frowned and grunted. _This town has been stripped bare of fighting spirit._ I gathered several orders of food, water, and provisions, and made my way back to camp.

As I began the walk back to camp, another patrol of Fire Nation soldiers came in my direction. For some reason, this group decided to pick on the kid whose hands were full with supplies. The first soldier slammed everything that I was carrying out of my hands and onto the ground. The second punched me in the gut and landed a square blow across my jaw.

"Nobody buys supplies from that merchant. He hasn't paid us yet. So you better pay up, or else," one of the soldiers demanded. He was behind one of those faceplates that made the soldiers think they were tough. I refused to make eye contact, I simply stared at the ground, and not moving a muscle. My jaw hurt like crazy and I knew something was broken.

"You not going to pay, you little shit? You're scum, just like everyone else in this village, and everyone else in this pathetic country." He spat in my face, and I still did not move a muscle. Rage was flowing through my body, and it was all I could do to not strike at the soldier. They would come after us, and if they found out that the son of Firelord Ozai's most trusted advisors was traveling with the Avatar, there were going to be _severe _consequences. I couldn't reveal our position just because some fucking soldiers pissed me off.

"Just be glad we haven't killed you yet, peasant. Your mother probably thinks the same way. Stupid brat running-"The soldier didn't have time to finish his sentence before I punched him right in the jaw, and I could hear the nauseating crunch of bones cracking under my fist. He dropped to the floor with a thud, knocked out cold. The rest of the soldiers stumbled back in shock, but quickly assumed sloppy fire bending stances. I took the first soldier out easily, with an uppercut followed up with a swift sweep kick through the legs. The second soldier charged at me, firing flames wildly through the air. I knocked his fists out of the way multiple times, causing him to miss me and hit the trees in the distance. Bending would be a waste of time on these guys. I quickly punched the soldier in the stomach and he keeled over, allowing me to deliver a punishing knee right to the face. The third soldier charged at me with a spear, and I got over confident, trying to play games with the soldier, I jumped out of the way at the last second, only to have the spear slice my arm on the way past. I cursed, pain flowing through my arm and blood running everywhere. When the soldier charged at me again, I grabbed his spear and yanked it back, causing horrible damage to his shoulder and arm. He fell on the floor, writhing in pain before stomping him in the back of the head.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" I heard a fire nation soldier yell. _Shit shit shit shit. _I gathered all the supplies from the ground and ran as fast as I could towards camp, not bothering to look back.

"Hey! You!" I could hear footsteps running after me, and knew that it would only be a matter of time before they followed me back into camp. My only chance would be to lose them in the woods. We only had a small window to escape, as they knew the direction I was heading in. My arms and legs were burning, and it felt like my lungs were about to explode. I finally made it back to camp, tripping over Momo and falling flat on my face.

"Luzon, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Katara rushed over immediately to see if I was okay.

"Fire Nation soldiers are coming," I gasped, in between breaths. Running was not my strong suit.

"What?!" Sokka exclaimed, "Luzon, you were just getting supplies, how did you alert the soldiers?"

"There's no time Sokka, we have to go. Pack all the supplies!" Aang ordered. We stuffed the supplies into Sokka's bag and jumped onto the saddle. As soon as we were about to take off, about twenty Fire Nation soldiers emerged out of the woods.

"There they are! Get them, but capture the Avatar alive!" one of the soldiers roared.

"Aang! We need to go!" Sokka yelled.

"Yip yip!" As soon as Appa elevated into the sky, the soldiers began to shoot fire at us. Aang swerved and dodged to avoid the flames, and I did my best to dissipate and redirect them. As we flew out of range of the fire benders, Sokka grabbed me by the shoulders and looked at me with anger on his face.

"Tell me, Luzon, how did you alert them?" he demanded.

"The merchant I bought the supplies from owed the Fire Nation money. For some reason they picked on me, and wanted me to pay, since I had just given him business. They insulted me, spat on me, and punched me in the face." My tone elevated as I continued to speak. "How the fuck do you think I was going to react Sokka? They insulted my family and belittled my entire fucking existence. Am I just supposed to sit there and take it?" I roared. I had my fists clenched as tight as possible, and flames were simmering out of my nose and mouth every time I exhaled.

"Well that's just great. Now we're going to have even more people trying to kill us. Thanks a lot Luzon." Sokka rolled his eyes. If he wasn't my friend I probably would have tossed him off Appa.

"Good. That's more dirty, rotten, savages that I can kill." I seethed. I never realized how much I hated my own country until now.

"Luzon…" Katara began reaching out to put her hand on my shoulder.

"No, Katara." I snapped. This startled her and she immediately retracted her hand. There was no sympathizing or pity that could make me feel better. All I could feel right now was hate and rage at my own country, and regret, for having just put my entire family in danger.

Servant's POV, Throne Room, Fire Nation Royal Palace

I was scared out of my mind. I would have to report such a dire message to the Firelord himself. He already wasn't in a good mood. I knocked on my Lord's door, and heart a grunt 'enter.' I stepped in, and bowed as low as I could. I was almost shaking from fear.

"My Lord, I have just received a report from the mining village of Yangzhou, that there is a possibility that a rogue fire bender was seen traveling with the Avatar."

"Have they an accurate description?"

"Yes my Lord, he is about 5'10, dark brown hair, golden eyes, and looks about 16."

"I see… servant… could you summon Advisor Ling to the room? I think I'm going to need to have a… chat… with him."

"Yes, my Lord."


	4. The Night

_So if you ask me why  
She wouldn't say goodbye  
I know somewhere inside_

There is a special light  
Still shining bright  
And even on the darkest night  
She can't deny 

I stared off into the endless blue of the sky as we flew further and further North. I was never one to sulk, always returning to my normal self after I had cooled off, but this was different. I had broken the promise I made to my father. The overwhelming feeling of guilt that washed over me felt like a surreal dark force strangling me, constantly reminding me of what I had just done, and it never subsided. I had endangered my entire family once again, and this time there will be no second chances. When we first defected and my father was put in prison, it was sort of a slap on the wrist. Now that the son of the Firelord's most trusted contact to the outside world was with the Avatar, along with being a total traitor, Ozai would probably go insane; who could be trusted? Once the news of this incident reaches the throne, my father might as well be good as dead. I'm just hoping he'll live until we get back to the Fire Nation. _If _we get back to the Fire Nation.

I sighed, and Katara took note of this. I had been completely silent and hadn't moved a muscle since we left the camp with Fire Nation soldiers on our asses. She scooted towards me and laid her hand on my shoulder. I flinched slightly at the contact and worry was once again filling her eyes.

"Luzon, do you want to talk?" she soothed.

"No Katara. I'm fine." I whispered. I wasn't in the mood to talk at all. Nobody knew how I was feeling, and I didn't see the point in sharing something they wouldn't understand.

"But Luz-"

"No." I cut her off. Her mouth shut closed and she scooted over back to where she was sitting next to Sokka. She gave one last look at me before turning to Aang and tapping him on the shoulder.'

"…he won't say anything; he's just sealed himself from us…"

"…probably just feeling guilty about the whole thing. I felt the same way when I left the temple."

"Hey, uh, guys," I called, and immediately Aang and Katara snapped their necks to look at me, surprised that I was forming a sentence for the first time in hours. "You're both _terrible _at whispering." Sokka snorted at this and Katara shot me another glare. Silence followed as we flew for what I assumed was another half hour before Aang spotted something on the ground.

"Oh no…" he muttered sadly. We all looked down and saw a forest, or what used to be a forest, totally scorched and barren. It had been burnt and destroyed by the Fire Nation. I was used to the anger that came at the thought of the cruelty and savagery of the Fire Nation, that I paid no mind to it. It was just a waste of mental energy getting angry at everything they did, since every horrible crime you could think of, the Fire Nation committed. Appa slowly floated down to the former forest floor, and we all slowly dismounted, shocked at the destruction.

"What happened here?" Katara said. She was obviously frightened at the destruction, and wouldn't remove her hand from her mother's necklace.

"Isn't it obvious? Fire Nation!" Sokka spat. Katara's eyes widened at this.

How could she not see the obvious? The whole forest was _burnt._

"There's no way…" Katara croaked.

"Oh, there is a way," I said, the venom almost visible in my voice. "The Fire Nation will stop at nothing to get what they want. Be it burn down a forest, destroy a village for no reason, kill hundreds of innocents; you name it, they've done it. Besides, a platoon of Fire Nation soldiers could torch a forest like this in seconds. The air is really dry here and there's gusting wind. "

"Luzon's right," Aang said. He just stared at the ground and rested his hand on his staff. "They've done all these horrible things the past one hundred years, and I didn't do anything about it. I ran out on my duties."

"Don't think like that Aang. There's nothing you could have done! See this?" Katara reached down and picked up an acorn. These acorns will grow into trees, and eventually this forest will be as beautiful as before.. Aang nodded at this but still never raised his eyes off the ground. The same dark force that was strangling me had its grip on Aang. Suddenly, an elderly man came walking out of the ashes.

"You, the Avatar!" the old man exclaimed. "I beg you, please come to our village. A dark spirit has been capturing citizens of our village every night. Please help us!" Aang looked to me, then Katara, then Sokka, and we all nodded in succession.

"Please, this way." The old man motioned.

As we walked towards the village, I lagged back and tapped Aang on the shoulder. He got the message and we were about 10 yards behind the water tribe siblings.

"What's up Luzon?" Aang smiled. "And if it's about the village, I have no idea either."

"No, it's not about the village." I looked down at my feet as we were walking. "Have you ever… have you ever endangered someone close to you and felt extremely guilty about it?" The look on Aang's face turned down once again and he sighed.

"Yeah, I have. When I found out that I was going to be separated by my father figure, Monk Gyatso, I was so mad I decided to leave my temple. I got caught in a storm and almost drowned. I ended up frozen in an iceberg, and I have no idea how that happened." Aang let out sort of a half laugh at this, but his serious expression returned once again. "When I left, I endangered my people, and I also endangered the entire world. They were left a world the Avatar, and paid the price for my selfishness."

I nodded. Aang was probably the only one who understood the feeling of overwhelming guilt. Everyone else I associated with, the number of emotions they had could have been counted on one hand.

"How did you deal with the…guilt?" I asked.

"I told myself that it would never, under any circumstances happen again. I would never put people that I care about in harm's way, and I promised to be the best person I could be going forward. That's one of the duties of the Avatar, right?" Aang smiled, satisfied at his attempt to comfort me. I nodded and we caught back up to Katara, Sokka, and the man from the village. Aang's story cleared my head and brightened my mood instantly. I started looking up from my feet, which were sore from walking on the destroyed ground, and that suffocating feeling slowly was slipping away, like a vise grip being loosened.

We approached the village gates, and the destruction caused by this spirit was in full view. Some buildings were completely destroyed, with just the foundations left in the rubble. Others had walls missing, roofs caved in, and smoke still smoldering from fires put out not very long ago. Whoever or whatever this spirit is, it's _angry._ We walked to the only building that wasn't damaged, which I assumed was the town hall. We all walked in and sat down. The sun was setting, and we really didn't have much time. The old man walked up to Aang and eagerly prodded for the Avatar to get rid of the spirit.

"Hurry up young Avatar, the sun is setting, and the spirit will be here soon."

"Um, okay." Aang said slowly. He walked into the middle of the village, staff in hand, and tried to reason with the spirit that wasn't even there yet. Eventually, with no response, Aang turned back to Sokka. Katara and I, who were looking on from a window in the town hall.

"What am I supposed to do?!" Aang called.

"Maybe you could give him food!" Sokka called.

"Yeah, or sing him to sleep!" I laughed. Sokka snickered and this was met with a punch in the arm from Katara for both of us. Rubbing the now bruised muscle, I didn't look up to realize that the spirit had entered the village, and began destroying everything in its path. It was huge, with four legs and about 50 feet tall. All of a sudden, a blinding beam of blue light shot out of its mouth, vaporizing a building. I've never been so scared in my life, and I could almost feel Sokka trembling beside me. Going against our fears, we jumped out of the window, ignoring Katara's protests to stay. We ran at the beast, Sokka with his boomerang wielded and myself ready to strike with my firebending. As soon as we got to the beast, it reached down with a transparent fist and picked the both of us up. Katara let out a shriek of terror, and Aang tried several different airbending techniques, all to no avail.

Terror flowed through me once again as I kicked and clawed, desperately trying to get out of its menacing grasp. I ceased my futile attempts, and relaxed in the claws of the beast, and looked over at Sokka, who was still screaming and stabbing the hand of the beast with the blade of his boomerang. All of a sudden, it turned around and began running away from the village, towards the forest. This scared us even more, and we both began struggling and kicking, frantically trying to escape.

"Luzon, kill it with the magic fire, hurry!" Sokka cried. I let out several blasts of fire out of my hands at feet, aiming right at the body of the beast. It never broke stride and kept running into the blackened woods. The fire just went _through_ the spirit.

"Well, that's not an option!" I called to Sokka.

"You mean, you can't kill magic with magic?" he asked shockingly, "This is driving me insane!"

"It's fucking transparent Sokka! How do you expect me to do anything?!" I yelled. There was no way we were getting out of this; the only question is, where is it taking us? Before I could think, there was a deafening _whoosh_ sound, and then it all went black.

_**Flashback; approximately two days after Zuko's departure.**_

___I'm leaving. I made up my mind as soon as the ruling came down a week ago; Zuko was banished, sent on a quest to capture the Avatar; a person who hasn't been seen in the past one hundred years. There was no way I could stay in this vile nation. Ozai is a madman, and it won't be long before someone else close to me gets hurt or killed. I sighed, plopping down on my lavish bed. The red and black silks felt so smooth and warm, yet at the same time, rough and cold. It didn't feel right. I walked over to my dresser, and began taking everything out and laying it on the floor. My finest robes, some fit for a Prince; my training clothes, used countless times, honing my skills, being the best bender I could possibly be; countless other __outfits, all still made exquisitely. I laid them all out on the floor, forming a long line of silk that went almost from one end of my room to the other. _

_ I took a deep breath, and shot a thin line of fire down the line. My clothes immediately were incinerated. I was burning my past, burning my identity. I walked to the various shelves on the walls in my room. Each one was adorned with different ornaments, vases, and other fancy décor that any citizen would dream to have. I broke all of them; punching my way __through the glass, ignoring the pain, destroying anything that reminded me of this tyranny. Yet, I was surrounded by it. There was no way I could erase it from my mind completely. I sighed, stopping my destruction, and set to work patching the gashes on my fist, which was now drenched in blood. I went into the bathroom and opened a random cabinet, pulling out a hand-wrap. I wove it around my fist and hand and yanked it tightly, and soon the bleeding stopped. Deciding that this room was too sickening, I trudged out the door and walked into the kitchen and saw my mother and younger sister Riza, cooking. I bowed to my mother, and shot a nasty look at Riza. I was still pissed at her fire flakes prank she pulled two days ago. 'How do you sneak them into someone's breakfast'? I groaned to myself. Still, this was no time for games; this decision will change our lives forever._

"_Mother," I began calmly, "I'm leaving."_

"_Where are you going dear?" she asked in a sweet voice. My mother was so naïve. "You know, I haven't seen Azula lately, you should visit her more often!"_

"_Mother…" I sighed. This wasn't easy at all to break the news, but it had to be done. I would never leave in the middle of the night, like some coward running out on his own family without saying goodbye._

"_I'm not leaving the house. I'm leaving the Fire Nation. For good."_

_Silence followed; my mother was frozen in place, emotional ropes binding her hands and feet. My sister just stared at me, wide-eyed and shocked. She was only 12, and hell, Kuzon was only 6! There was no way they would follow me out of the country._

"_Luzon…" my mother whispered. "This is about Zuko isn't it?"_

"_No, mother; this isn't just about Zuko. This is about an insane madman that's driving his own country into the ground. So what if we're conquering half the world? We're also killing half the world; destroying the honor of the Fire Nation with every blast of fire, every razed city, every killed innocent. I can't stand this anymore."_

"_Luzon's right, mother," Riza said. I snapped my gaze over to her, astounded that she would give up her spoiled, pampered life because of __morals and views; __**my**__ morals and views. 'I guess we're closer than we think.' I muttered to myself. _

"_I can't go on living like this either. It doesn't feel right." Riza said. I nodded, and we both looked back at our mother, who was still mulling over the situation._

"_What about your little brother!" she exclaimed. "Kuzon's only six, how do you expect him to live a life on the run?" my mother was practically in tears already. She was an emotional woman._

"_Mom, Kuzon will be fine. You and Dad will be able to take care of him." Riza explained. My mother let out another sigh, and seemed to concede defeat, before bringing up perhaps the most crucial part of her argument._

"_What about your father?!" she gasped. We stood in silence, realization hitting us both at the same time. My father basically worked with Ozai every day, and if he left, all of the inner secrets of the Fire Nation would be exposed. We would be hunted down and killed in a matter of weeks, if not days._

"_He's going to have to stay here." I said, although nobody wanted that. It was a choice that had to be done._

"_Are you insane?!" my mother shrieked. "That's your father! You can't leave him behind!"_

"_Yeah, and if he comes, we'll all get murdered, Father as well. Our best chance is if he stays, and swears to the Firelord that he knew nothing of our plans. Ozai's got to have some sense in him to believe his most trusted intelligence advisor for over 7 years. It's our only shot mother. Father wouldn't object I know it; he would never, under any circumstances put people who were dear to him in harm's way."_

_Mother tried to form another argument, but she knew that she was beat. Eventually she nodded, agreeing to our plan to defect from the Fire Nation. _

"_Okay, what I want you guys to do, is burn all of your clothes. All of them except the ones on your back. Take only the most sentimental personal __items with you; family portraits, heirlooms, and the like. Yes mother, you can bring our baby clothes." I groaned._

_My mother's mood seemed to improve exponentially after I allowed her to bring Riza's, Kuzon's, and my baby clothes. She would always show them to her friends, and bring one of us in here to show them the difference in size. It never ceased to irritate us, but we welcomed it with our mother. _

"_We're going to leave tonight." I said. "Riza, break the news in the nicest way possible to Kuzon. He won't take it very lightly if he finds out that the fire ponies are going to be gone for a while. Tell him as soon as he gets back from school." Riza chuckled and nodded. "I'm going to take a nap; we're going to need all the rest we can get. Who knows how long it'll take to get to the Earth Kingdom? Oh, and Mother, make sure to tell Father that when we leave, it's an absolute must that he be at the palace or in the throne room. We need to arouse as little suspicion as possible." She nodded._

_I trudged back up the stairs, and walked into my room, glass and ashes still scattered on the floor. I smirked, pleased with my destruction of myself. I lay down on my bed once again, and tried desperately to get some shut-eye before our departure tonight. _

_When I woke up, I glanced quickly at the clock on the wall. It read 9:17. I slowly rose out of my bed and walked downstairs into the living room, finding my father sitting by the fireplace, sipping on what I assumed was sake. Almost as soon as he noticed my presence, he rose and enveloped me in a tight embrace. We were both horrible with words, and neither of us could form a coherent sentence when our emotions were getting the best of us. We never really shared emotional moments, as he was always off at meetings, and we never really had enough time to truly bond; as father and son. Although our ties weren't as strong as my mother's, I knew he loved me dearly, and the feelings were reciprocated. _

_As I was held in my Father's arms, the full implications hit me; our life that we had been accustomed to living ever since we were born, would be gone forever. I would probably never see my Father again, only, if by some miracle, the Fire Nation lost this agonizing struggle. _

"_Father…" I breathed, tears falling freely down my face, and my throat closing up, making breathing more of an effort than before. He finally pulled away, and grabbed my shoulders firmly._

"_You're the man of this family now. You need to provide, care, and love for your siblings, and assist your mother wherever she feels fit. Kuzon will start coming into his own as he grows older. Teach him, and soon he will be able to be as strong as you are, perhaps even stronger. Your sister is a wonderful young woman. She may not show it, but she loves you so much, and it would have crushed her if you went without her. Your mother loves you so much it's unimaginable. She gave birth to you, our first child, and looks at you like a saint. Protect her as well, as I cannot do that anymore." I nodded, and he gripped my shoulders even tighter._

"_Now you must promise me one thing, Luzon. Never, ever, under any circumstances, endanger them for your own reasons, or because you felt it had to be done." I nodded once again, and he let my shoulders go. I smiled and couldn't help but feel better at my Father's words. In this life, living in a country of hatred and savagery, there are still good things that are very dear to me, and one of them is my Father._

"_I must be off. I have to be in the throne room to avoid any suspicion. Good luck Luzon." He walked into the dining room, and took turns saying goodbye to the rest of us. My mother wouldn't stop crying, and Father did his best trying to comfort her. He stroked her cheek to calm her down, and even sang a few lyrics of the song they so enjoyed back when they first fell in love. This seemed to calm Mother down and she motioned for Kuzon to go up to his Father. Poor Kuzon, he would grow up without a true Father figure; a mentor, someone to laugh and play with, someone who he could confide in. He just latched onto Father's leg and wouldn't let go. He was crying and wailing, desperately trying to cling to someone who he would never see again. Father picked him up and held him out in his arms, and played with him a bit and this coaxed a giggle out of Kuzon. Kuzon settled down, but wouldn't get out of a 3 foot radius of Father. Finally, Riza stepped up and hugged Father. Riza was always strong, but I knew she was trying her absolute best to avoid breaking down and crying. After he was done with his goodbyes, Father turned to me and smiled._

"_I've managed to get a small yacht for you, completely stripped of Fire Nation colors."_

"_WHAT?! How is that even possible, we made the decision 4 hours ago!"_

"_Remember Yan, the shipbuilder? I bought this from him at a discounted price. It hadn't been painted yet, so that's even better."_

_I beamed. This was going to make travel __so____much easier. Father smiled and went for the door, before turning back and uttering one final goodbye._

"_Remember, I love you all, and you will always be on my mind, and in my heart."_

_With that, he turned, and left, stalking into the unusually cool night, disappearing behind the many merchants and pedestrians. _

_We decided to leave at midnight, as we wanted to get mentally prepared as much as we could. However, that wasn't possible for me. There was still something gnawing at my conscience, something, that no matter how hard I tried to push away, wouldn't desist. Eventually, I decided to put this feeling to rest._

"_Where are you going Luzon?" my mother asked as she saw me reach for the door. I sighed, my attempt to sneak out failed. My mother was always so curious._

"_I'm going to see Azula, Mother. I won't be gone long." I went out the door, and the cool air felt refreshing. It was a bit of relief from the tension in our house. I walked toward the Royal Palace, dodging merchants touting food, supplies, and weapons. I neared the entrance to the courtyard, where five guards were posted at the entrance. _

"_Master Luzon, it is quite late," one of the guards said. "What are you matters tonight?"_

"_I'm just visiting Azula for a bit. It's been awhile since we've had quality time together." I said calmly. The guard's eyes widened in embarrassment and I couldn't help but smirk a little._

"_R-right, go on a-ahead," he stuttered. I smiled as I went past, and I could feel the lone guard's eyes looking at me as I walked towards the Royal House. Hopefully he wasn't thinking too much outside the box, or else our cover would be totally blown. I made my way into the Royal House, where I __was greeted by nobleman Dao. He was always very friendly with me, and never really cared about Ozai's rules and customs. Dao was always straightforward, and honest. He always tended to skip formalities as well, at least around me, plus I assumed he was only about 25 years old. _

"_What's up Luzon?" Dao grinned. He was always in a good mood._

"_Nothing much, I guess. Is Azula available?" I shrugged. Dao grinned even wider, and I figured out quickly what he was thinking about._

"_Dammit, Dao, not that, I'm being serious," I said, and I punched him hard in the arm. He winced in pain, but the grin never left his face. _

"_All right, all right," he exclaimed, holding up his hands in mock defense. "She's not in the best mood today though, had a bit of an issue during her firebending practice."_

"_Right." We walked up the beautiful red and black stairs, adorned with velvet rails, pristine carpet, and the finest coloring you would ever see. As we made our way to Azula's quarters, I couldn't help but think how a guy like Dao could become a nobleman. He wasn't formal at all; a slob compared to the rest of the higher society Fire Nation, and young for his position. I've heard rumors that his IQ was off the charts, and had a good eye for style and maintenance. I guess he would be better off as a merchant, but his smarts granted him the position of nobleman. He's pretty lucky, nobody really has a shot at making it on their own. They're either born in, like me, or pull a whole bunch of strings and cheat their way in. Whatever, I'm just glad he's here. He's one of the few people I've actually liked in the palace. _

_ "Azula!" Dao yelled, as he rapped on the door. Shuffling could be heard inside, along with cursing and muttering._

_ "Dammit Dao, I'm not going to try your fucking fire flakes. Now please, for the last time leave me alone or I'll have you banished to the slums!" Dao just sighed, undisturbed by the Princess' threat._

_ "It's Luzon, he's here to visit you, says it's urgent." Dao replied. There was silence for a second, and more shuffling as Azula came to open the door. I smiled at her and she returned the gesture, and she let me into her room. Dao was still standing at the door, refusing to leave. What is it now?_

"_Azula, are you absolutely sure you don't want to try the fire flakes? Everybody in the palace loves them!" Dao grinned. This drew another groan from the Princess._

"_Fuck off Dao!" she screamed, and shoved him out of the doorway, slamming it shut. Dao's laughter could be heard down the hallway, before it slowly died out. From the looks of it, Azula had just gotten out of the bath. Her hair was flowing down her back, instead of tied up in her usual top knot, and signature bangs. Her hair was still damp, and her body seemed to glow, as a thin sheen of water that still remained on her body was pronounced by the warm fire in the room. She was wearing only her underclothes, and the scent of a variety of oranges and lavenders, roses and different aromas from the soaps seemed to ooze off her figure. She was so beautiful._

"_Hey Luzon, it's pretty late. What's up?" she asked. This is going to cap off one of the worst, nights of my life. I just don't know how I'm going to live without her. More importantly, how is she going to react? I know she has a violent side, but this would drive her over the edge. Nobody's ever loved her before, and this would break her completely. It's killing me on the inside, but I know I have to do it._

"_Azula…" I began, my breath shaky, my throat closing up once again. Azula, being the keen observer she is, noticed my distress and laid a hand on my shoulder._

"_What is it Luzon, is there something wrong?" she asked._

"_I-I'm leaving." I exhaled. I braced for the worst._

"_What do you mean, you just got here!" she laughed. "It's pretty chilly out too. You should stay with me tonight, I'll keep you warm." She moved closer to me and moved her hand onto my chest. I sighed once again, shaking her hand off my chest, and grabbing her wrists._

"_I'm leaving the country. For good. I can't stand living in such a horrible place, and I'm taking my family with me. Father is staying here, as bringing him along would endanger us all. We're headed to the Earth Kingdom, __probably Ba Sing Se." I closed my eyes, and I could feel Azula's hands slack in my grip. I can already tell she isn't going to take this very well._

"_So, you're… defecting?" she whispered. "How dare you Luzon," her tone escalated. "This is the most glorious country in the world, and you have the nerve to defect, to become some… peasant?" she spat._

"_Azula please…" I whispered. My eyes were still shut tight, and tears were filling up. Azula ripped her arms out of my grasp, and stepped away from me, like I was poison._

"_We have conquered most of the world, gotten rid of the Avatar, and completely eradicated the Air Nomads! We have the best commerce, industry, culture, and by FAR the most honor, and you think that this is all meaningless, and you want to go live in some mud hut in fucking Ba Sing Se?" she roared. Fire was seeping out of her mouth and nostrils, as it often did when she was extremely mad. Although I knew Azula wouldn't kill me right here and now, I'm afraid for my life. _

_Her tone quieted to barely a whisper once more._

"_I thought you loved me Luzon… I thought you would be the only person who would truly care for me, understand me, and view me as a person, not some object, or some… monster." She was crying now. This broke my heart once again, knowing that it was my doing that caused her so much pain and anger._

"_I do love you Azula… nothing will ever change that. I'm doing this to help you open your eyes to the horrors that your Father is committing." This was instantly received with a slap across the face. I didn't even bother to defend myself, and I closed my eyes once again, waiting for the sharp burning pain in my cheek and jaw to recede. _

"_If you truly loved me…" she croaked, "You wouldn't be doing this to me. And all this time, I thought we were going to get married and rule the world together. That's now just some stupid pipe dream."_

_I reached for her face, and she didn't resist my touch as I cupped her cheek with my hand. The look in her eyes said it all. She was broken once again, but this time beyond repair. She was like a fragile sword; a tool used for only death and destruction. While extremely deadly, it required the utmost care to be kept in good condition. The sword had been broken before, but __simply repaired and ready for more. This happened time and time again. Now, the sword had been broken in half, tossed to the ground by its master, and left there in two pieces, unable to be repaired once again._

"_Remember Azula, I will always love you. Nothing will ever change that fact. Goodbye." I said. I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and let her go for the last time. I slid past her shaking form slowly, and quietly opened and closed the door. I could still hear the sobs echoing from her room as I made my way down the hallway._

**A/N: Sorry for the dreadfully long flashback, but it had to be done. :D Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I tend to use every cheesy line in the book when it comes to emotional scenes, as you can tell with Luzon's father leaving and the scene in Azula's bedroom. I'm also adjusting some age differences; Luzon and Azula are both 14 in this flashback, so in the present they would be 16. Just so it isn't kinda creepy.**


	5. Old Friends

**A/N: Chapter Five is finally up! It's the first real update to this story in months, and I'm really looking to continue on. Read on, minions!**

* * *

As I open my eyes, I'm greeted by a blinding, bright white light. I slam my eyelids shut, protecting my vision from the seemingly ethereal beam. Opening my eyes slowly this time, the light isn't as strong, and I slowly get my bearings. I'm lying in some sort of forest, accompanied only by the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves. Rising to my feet slowly, I brush myself off, still dazed at the events that just took place. I don't even know if they actually happened or not. It's hard to believe that Sokka and I were just captured by some sort of spirit, that was...transparent. Honestly, I don't even know if I'm dreaming or not, because everything has this grainy look to it... like I'm hallucinating or something.

Branches and leaves crack and crunch as I walk slowly through the desolate forest, searching for civilization.

"Hello?" I call. No answer. I call out one more time, the birds that were chirping just a few seconds ago fly away from their perches high atop the trees, disturbed by my loud yelling into the forest. I sigh, and begin to work my way through the thick foliage, going in the general direction of where I thought the village was.

I wince as a vine with thorns leaves a long scratch on my bare arm, leaving blood trickling out of the cut. I clasp my hand around the wound and pay it no mind, moving through the rest of the forest with only one arm. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I break through the dense brush and into the village.

The village has a much different feel and atmosphere to it; people are in the streets, looking much happier than they were before I blacked out. Children are playing with dolls and toys, the same children that were too afraid to come out of their homes most of the day. Either I've been out cold forever, or Aang did something to make that rampaging spirit go away. Off to the left, there is the smoldering rubble of what used to be a home. The town hall is still intact, and already people are beginning to repair the damage to their homes. I can't spot Aang, Sokka, or Katara in the crowd... Maybe they left without me, thought I was dead or something. I can't blame them, I could have been out for a week, judging by how hungry I am.

I go no further than three steps before someone wraps me in a giant platypus-bear hug.

"Luzon! You're alive!" Sokka exclaims!

"Y-yeah... I missed you too Sokka," I gasp.

"We've been looking all over for you, where did you go?" Sokka asks, relieving the enormous pressure on my lungs.

"I have no idea... I came to just a few minutes ago. I was in the forest, and there was nobody around. How long was I out?"

"About a day or so. Katara's worried sick, so you better say hi to her before you get your ass handed to you for taking too long." Sokka warns.

"Yeah yeah, I know," I chuckle. We begin to walk towards the outskirts of town towards camp.

"We've got big news regarding Aang and the past avatars... He'll fill you in once we get back to camp," Sokka explains.

"That's awesome! I guess..." I say slowly.

I have little to no knowledge about the Avatar's true history, because for generations the Fire Nation fed it's children elitist bullshit and propaganda, and basically wrote the history books with Ozai's pen. The teachers at the Fire Nation Royal Academy would say things like "The Avatar abandoned the world for good, he is a coward and no such scum should walk the same ground that our glorious Firelord walks." I knew it was bullshit from day one, but what was I to judge what was right and what was wrong? The Avatar hadn't been seen in three generations, so even my grandparents didn't know the actual motives and morals of the Avatar. History was so distorted that we forgot that the Avatar even _existed._ Such brainwashing was common under Ozai's rule, and that's why so many of his soldiers are willing to take a boulder to the face. _They don't know that they're wrong; _educated the wrong ideals from birth.

The sun is high in the sky and it is unusually warm for the season. I wipe a small bead of sweat off my brow, continuing to follow Sokka at an increasingly fast pace. We turn a few more corners and walk for about five minutes before we're at camp.

"Luzon! You're safe!" Katara exclaims, dropping the supplies she was packing and running over to me and giving me a hug.

"Hey Katara." I smile, returning the embrace. Momo flies over and lands on my head, and begins to scratch my scalp.

"Ouch! Dammit Momo!" I cry tossing him off my head. The lemur makes a screeching sound before perching himself on Aang's head.

"Hey! I don't see you ruining his hair!" I exclaim. Aang shoots me a glare before I even realized what I said.

"Right... maybe it's not the hair he's interested in..." I stutter awkwardly. Momo reaches into a sack and throws a moldy peach at me, but I duck before the damage could be done. It explodes behind me against a tree. I shoot Momo a death glare, and he screeches before flying onto the saddle.

Silence follows for a few moments before it is interrupted by the deep growl of my stomach, demanding food. I groan.

"Ah... please tell me you have food... I haven't eaten for a day," I complain.

"I've got you covered," Sokka reassures me. "Let's head out now though, everything is packed on the saddle, we can chow down there."

I nod and we all climb onto the saddle. Aang takes the reins and with a simple "yip yip," we're soaring back into the sky.

"Now, about that food..." I say to Sokka. He nods and reaches into his sack and pulls out an apple. Surely he's got more than _that._

"I know what you're thinking, "that all?" We've got more, but I don't think it's a good idea to gorge yourself right now," Katara says from the back of the saddle.

"Fine..." I say in disappointment and begin chomping on my apple, the juices and flavor the best I've ever tasted, probably fresh from the tree. Being starved helps too.

I climb into the passenger's seat...sort of... next to Aang, still furiously eating my apple.

"So, what's this about past lives of the Avatar?" I questioned, mouth full of fruit.

"You mean you don't know? I thought everybody knew about the Avatar cycle?"

"There's a cycle?..." I say. I'm as dumbfounded as ever; the "history" teachers back at the Academy really did twist everything.

"Well...yeah. Didn't they teach you this stuff when you were growing up?" Aang wondered.

"Aang, you haven't been seen for three generations. So growing up in a country that hasn't even _seen_ the Avatar, much less respects him, bends the facts. I was brought up learning that the Avatar was a vicious, power-hungry coward who wanted to take over the world, and when he realized he would fail he would abandon it. Not that you're like that Aang... it's just the propaganda Ozai ordered the instructors to feed us. Talk about irony..." I mutter.

"The Avatar cycle is what continues the legacy of the Avatar... the name is pretty obvious. So whenever the previous Avatar dies, he or she is reincarnated, in order: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. So when I die, the next Avatar will be a waterbender. That's all I know, but the previous Avatar, Roku, is going to speak to me at his old temple... It's in the Fire Nation."

"You've got to be kidding me..." I said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Aang wondered.

"Aang, I'm wanted for treason in the Fire Nation. Wanted posters and bounties are posted _everywhere, _offering a pretty good reward for the capture or killing of me and my family. I absolutely cannot set foot in the Fire Nation. It's suicide," I said frantically.

"Don't worry, it's on an island, you'll be safe with us," Aang smiles.

"You better be right, for our sake," I grumble, before climbing back into the saddle. I reach into the sack of food and pull out a big piece of jerky. My mouth is watering as I take a huge bite of the salty meat. I chew violently on the tough meat, taking huge bites until I've eaten all of it in about a minute.

"Man, you were hungry," Katara says. I nod and take a swig of water, washing away the salty taste.

"So, Sokka, where did you wake up after the spirit let us go?" I asked.

"I woke up with the rest of the captured villagers, just outside the village itself," Sokka explained. "Why? Didn't you wake up there too?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No... it was awhile before I woke up. I uh, had a flashback in my mind to the night I left the Fire Nation, and when it was over I woke up a lot farther from the village than you did, and I woke up a day later" I said.

"That's strange..." Katara said with a puzzled look on her face.

"Yeah... I dunno why that happened. The funny thing is, the flashback in my mind just felt so _real._ It was like I was actually reliving the night over again," I said flatly.

"There's an Air Nomad superstition that says that some spirits will help guide someone's soul who is troubled or conflicted, but first they must come to terms with why they are conflicted, or solve the problem directly. Maybe that spirit was trying to tell you something, Luzon," Aang says wisely.

"Maybe..." I whisper.

Of course he was right. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her. Sometimes, I miss her so much that I thought about dropping everything then and there, and going back to the Fire Nation just to see her again, regardless of the consequences. But I knew that wasn't an option, she probably regards me as dirt now. It's been what, two years? No contact, no news, nothing. I might as well be dead to her, and I know that even if the Fire Nation wins the war, there is no hope for another chance with her. She's moved on, just another tragic tale of young love torn to shreds by the blood of other men and women. So why can't I just accept the fact that it's over and move on?

I sigh and close my eyes, trying to drive the thoughts of home out of my mind. They are successfully driven out of my conscience by Katara's alarm and Appa diving hard to the left.

"Holy fuck!" I curse, the sharp turn almost sending me off the saddle. "What is it?" I yelled.

"Fire Nation ship... Zuko," Sokka hisses.

"Are you sure that's Zuko? That could be any Fire Nation ship!" I cry.

"Oh, it's him alright," Sokka says.

Just as Sokka confirms the identity of the ship, a giant fireball comes hurtling into the sky towards Appa. The flying bison makes another evasive maneuver, managing to dodge the flaming ball by only a few feet. It was so close, I could feel the heat off the last projectile. The evasion continues on for the next few minutes, Zuko's ship unrelenting and Aang and Appa aren't making any fatal mistakes. On the horizon, a long row of steel can be seen floating on the water, unmoving.

"Look! Zhao's blockade! That's the entrance into Fire Nation waters," I explain, pointing at the hundred or so ships lined up at the border between Earth and Fire. "Zuko's done for, they won't let him past that blockade. His ship is not recognized as part of the Fire Nation," I say bluntly.

"Good, that means no more distractions," Sokka says in relief.

The flaming projectiles stop coming our way, and Appa levels out, and we continue past the Fire Navy blockade. I look back over the saddle to try and see Zuko's ship turn around, just to make sure we were finally clear.

"What the hell is he doing?" I yell, eyes wide in shock. Zhao was actually letting Zuko _pass._ Has he gone insane? Unless this is an order directly from Ozai himself, Zhao is putting himself in a lot of danger, letting a banished individual back into the country.

"What are you talking about?" Katara asks, as she too looks over at the blockade.

"This shouldn't be happening. You can't just let someone who's banished back into the goddamn country whenever you feel like it," I explain. Unless...

"Zhao, you dirty piece of shit," I cuss to myself. "You always were a fucking rat."

"Whoa, I don't get it. What am I missing here? Who is this Zhao guy?" Sokka asks.

"Commander Zhao is a Naval officer, and he's in charge of the whole blockade you saw back there. Every ship in these waters answers to him, and some of his orders come directly from Ozai himself. Don't let his rank fool you though, he's a sniveling, dirty motherfucker, and always has been," I say flatly.

"So what does this have to do with us?" asks Katara.

"It _means _that he's using Zuko. He's trying to capture Aang himself and get all the credit; he let Zuko through so that when he finds us again at the temple, Zhao can track Zuko's ship, swoop in and capture us. Clever plan for such a narcissistic asshole."

"Great! Now we've got two firebender douchebags on our tail! Life is just great isn't it!" Sokka says sarcastically, flopping spread-eagled on the saddle.

"Look on the bright side, I'm going to visit Avatar Roku, maybe he'll have some cool secrets to tell me that can make taking care of these guys a lot easier," Aang smiles.

"You're right Aang. We've been evading Zuko this whole time, so if Zhao is restricted by his military duties, he'll basically be a non-factor," Katara reassures us.

I sigh and lean back, resting my eyes and preparing for a nap. It's a long way from the blockade to Roku's temple, so I slowly fall asleep in the clouds.

* * *

When I wake up, the sun is starting to ever so slowly dip below the horizon, the sky a magnificent mix of orange, pink, and even a slight shade of purple, signaling the night that is drawing ever closer. Everyone else is awake, either staring up at the sky or looking down at the crystal blue waters. We're all startled by Aang's exclamation and pointing at the temple in the distance.

"Look, there it is!" Aang cries, a wide smile on his face. He must be extremely happy that he gets to speak with one of his past lives... or something like that.

"Finally..." I mutter. I just want to get this over with and get the hell _out _of the Fire Nation.

After about five minutes, we finally land on the island. I hang back on the saddle while Aang, Katara, Sokka and Momo set off for the temple.

"Aren't you coming Luzon?" Aang asks.

"I don't think it's a good idea... there still could be people in there, you know? People loyal to Ozai... I can't take that chance," I sigh.

"Luzon, this temple has been abandoned for a _long _time. It'll be safe for you to come in, and we might need a firebender for a door or something," Aang says.

"Fine, but no longer than we need to be there, okay?" I order.

"I promise," Aang reassures me.

I sigh, before climbing down and walking into the temple with the rest of the group. It's the typical Fire Nation architecture, pagoda style with flame designs shooting out from the ceilings of every floor. It's pretty hard to describe, I've never been one good with architecture, but it's old, and looks amazing.

We walk into the first room, a spacious grand entrance. Sokka whistles, marveled at the tremendous interior design of the temple, and I don't blame him. Even though it seems like ancient history, the Fire Nation had some _excellent _artists and architects, who have been useless for a century thanks to all resources being put forth to the war. It's a sad waste.

"Greetings." I freeze dead in my tracks, too scared to turn around, my suspicions confirmed. This place _isn't _abandoned, and the people who are still here are the worst kind. Fire sages, loyal to Ozai himself. I am so fucking _screwed_.

"We are the Fire Sages, guardians of the temple of the Avatar," one of the sages says.

"Great, I'm the Avatar!" Aang says happily.

"We know."

The sages blast fire at us, and I grab Katara and Sokka and begin running as fast as we can in the opposite direction, after Aang orders us to. _Shit shit shit shit! _I'm glad I wasn't forced to use my bending, but I honestly don't know if any of them recognized me. The three of us run through random hallways, cutting left and right, trying desperately to evade the sages. Eventually Aang ends up with us, and we continue to run in random directions until we almost crash into one of the sages.

"Please! I come in peace!" the sage pleads.

"Firebenders aren't our friends," Sokka warns.

"I can take you to Roku, young Avatar, but only if you come with me," the sage says to Aang.

"Really?"

The voices of the other sages can be heard in the distance, but their footsteps are getting closer. A decision had to be made immediately.

"Yes, really. Now go!" I order, pushing everyone into the passage, just as one of the sages rounds the corner. The friendly sage shuts the passage door, effectively locking out the remaining four.

"Say, you look familiar. Have you been here before?" the sage asks me.

"Er... well, my father might have been here... on an intelligence trip...possibly," I stutter. There's no use now, this guy is going to find out who I am, I just have to hope for the best now.

"Ling? Ozai's intelligence advisor? Yes! He was here about five years ago, checking in on the state of us Fire Sages... so you're his son?" the sage asked.

"Yeah."

"That's nice to know... but why are you wearing Earth Kingdom clothes?... And why are you with the Avatar? My name is Shyu by the way," he said slowly.

"It's a long story Shyu, but right now we need to get to Avatar Roku," Aang prodded.

We walked through the secret passage, illuminated only by torches on the wall. I wouldn't be surprised if we were the first ones to walk these halls in over one hundred years. It just _feels _ancient.

"Did you know Avatar Roku?" Aang asks Shyu.

"No, but my grandfather knew him. There have been many generations of Fire Sages in this temple. We all have a strong spiritual connection to this place," Shyu explains.

"Then how did you know I was coming?" Aang asks.

"A few weeks ago, an absolutely incredible thing happened! The statue of Avatar Roku, it's eyes began to glow!" Shyu said incredulously.

"That's when we were at the Air Temple! The eyes were glowing there too!" Katara exclaimed.

I just stopped walking. I couldn't believe that they were saying this. A statue's eyes? _Glowing?_ Please tell me this is just some sort of practical joke.

"Hold on, hold on. Did you just say a statue's eyes were glowing? In multiple places?" I say in disbelief.

"Yes! It signaled the Avatar's return to the world!" Shyu cried.

"I...just... never mind, I don't even want to think about this," I sigh, shaking my head and dropping the subject. I need to remind myself to ask Aang for some history lessons. This is just too much.

We come to a room, with a huge door in the middle. It looks like it's sealeed shut.

"No!" cries Shyu in horror. Obviously the door should be open, or it wouldn't have drawn such a reaction. I sigh once again, _another _hitch in the road, and that means more time here. No point in rushing it now, we might be here for awhile.

"How do you open the door?" Aang asks.

"We need five different blasts from five different fire benders, and obviously, we're three short," Shyu says, motioning to me.

"Five blasts huh..." Sokka says to himself; probably thinking of some ingenious plan that we could never have thought of.

"Okay, we take five oil lamps, and set them off at the door. The fire resulting from the explosion should be enough to open the door!" Sokka cries.

Shit, this might actually _work_. We gather the oil lamps, and encase them in animal skin, with some twine to light all five at once. Placing them on the door, everybody steps back, trying to shield themselves from the impending explosion.

"Ready?" I say, before lighting one end of the twine with my finger and stepping behind a pillar for protection. In a second, the fire spreads to all five bags, producing a pretty good-sized explosion.

Once the smoke cleared, the doors remained sealed shut, much to everyone's chagrin.

"Well so much for that idea," I grumble.

"It didn't work!" Sokka sighs sadly.

"Well, should we draw straws to go ask the other sages for help?" I sigh.

"Luzon, that's it!" Katara says excitedly.

"It was a joke...and I don't see any straws around, unless you want to use your hair," I say. I'm _really _confused right now.

"Look at the door, it looks like it's been scorched, right? So we call the other sages in here, claim that Aang is inside, so they open the door and capture him!" Katara explains.

"Holy shit...remind me to buy you lunch next time," I say, in awe of Katara's genius plan.

"Alright then, it's settled. Everybody take positions, Shyu, go get the other sages and say I'm inside. We'll use Momo as a decoy," Aang says. "Once they get the door open, I'll run in and you guys grab the sages."

Shyu nods and runs off to go find the other sages. Everyone else takes cover behind the pillars, while Momo goes through the pipes and into the adjacent room. It's silent until we hear footsteps, signaling the arrival of Shyu and the rest of the sages. I steal a glance over at Aang, and we exchange nods, ready to spring the plan once the door is open. In a minute, all five of the sages are in the room, unaware of our presence.

"Look! The Avatar managed to get into the sanctuary! If he contacts Roku, we're done for!" Shyu cries, pointing at the marks on the door, and the shadow seeping through the crack at the bottom.

In a great blast of fire, the sages open the door, revealing Momo standing there, innocent as ever.

"It's the Avatar's lemur! We've been tricked!" One of the sages cries.

I can't help but laugh before jumping out from behind the pillar, and throwing a powerful punch right at one of the sages' face. It connects, and he crumples to the floor, out cold. I look over to see Katara and Sokka taking care of the other sages, leaving Shyu to look on.

"Aang, go!" I call. Why is he taking so long, the doors have been open for awhile now. At this rate they'll close on him, and we'll lose. Again.

"Aang!" I yell one more time. No answer. In the confusion, the sages regain the upper hand, grabbing Katara and Sokka and chaining them to pillars, along with Shyu.

"Shit..." I curse. What the hell was Aang doing back there?

"Luzon? What the hell are you doing here?" a familiar voice yells.

Zuko steps out of the shadows with Aang in a headlock.

"I could say the same about you..." I mutter.

"It's no use now, you're a criminal and a traitor. Get him!" Zuko orders the fire sages.

They rush me, and manage to grab a hold of my arms, but not before I fire a blast at Zuko. Ducking, he loses his grip on Aang, who sprints into the sanctuary just as the doors close. The sages chain me to the nearest pillar, the cold metal digging deep into my skin.

"You've always been delusional Zuko. There's no point in doing this, capturing the Avatar. Your father isn't going to give you your _honor _back even with the Avatar. Stop being so naïve," I spat.

"Shut up, before I make you!" Zuko seethes, coming within inches of my face.

"Ah, always with the quick temper, eh Zuzu?" I laugh.

Zuko responds by punching my hard in the cheek, blood spilling out of my mouth.

"You're an idiot, always have been," I cough.

"You're lucky that we grew up like brothers, or else I would have killed you where you stood!" Zuko screamed. "Look at you, betraying your own damn country, and for what? For morals? You're the delusional one!" Zuko said.

"M-maybe, but I'd rather be delusional, than some puppet on a witch hunt. Or someone throwing their life away," I whispered.

"Oh, so that's how you see it? What did Azula think about than, eh Luzon?" Zuko chimes. He might as well have stepped on a nerve.

"That's none of your business..." I mutter

"Whatever, I couldn't care less, all I care about is the Avatar," Zuko dismisses, going over to the other fire sages.

"Bravo, bravo, Prince Zuko. You managed to get absolutely nothing out of any of them," an old, volatile voice says from the shadows. Just hearing Zhao speak is enough to make me want to puke.

"Arrest him!" Zhao orders, and two soldiers step from behind him and seize Zuko.

"You're too late Zhao, the Avatar is inside and the doors are sealed!" Zuko says defiantly.

"We'll see about that," Zhao retorts, before looking over to me, with a look of glee on his face.

"Look what we have here, it's Ling's little brat. Tell me son, how do you feel now that you know you're going to be executed once we get you back to Ozai?" Zhao says hellishly.

"Fuck off," I mutter.

"I don't like your tone," Zhao growls, before kneeing me in the stomach.

I gasp as the wind is knocked out of me, and an extreme pain flows through my body from my abdomen. Unwilling to give in, I spit in Zhao's face. His face takes on a monstrous look before kneeing me in the stomach once more, and punching me across the jaw, and I feel a cut opening up on my face, just before everything goes black.

I wake up staring at the stars, feeling the crusty, dried blood on the side of my face. I look over slowly to see Aang at the reins, and Sokka and Katara staring at me.

"Luzon, are you okay?" Katara asks softly.

"I-I don't know... what happened?" I ask weakly.

"Zhao knocked you unconscious. Aang managed to break us out of there, and Sokka carried you back to Appa," Katara explains.

"That must be why I have this terrible headache," I complain. "Thanks Sokka, I owe you one.

"Don't mention it. Oh, and it was more like Avatar Roku who saved the day."

I sit up slowly, ringing in my ears. "What do you mean?"

"Avatar Roku made those firebenders scatter, before he morphed back into Aang," Sokka says matter-of-factly.

"Right...I don't want to even try and comprehend that right now. My head hurts," I groan, before falling asleep once again.

* * *

**A/N: I thought above having a scene where Luzon gets captured by Zhao and sent back to the Fire Nation, but I think it's still too early for that. But believe me, this story will be more AU, and not just an OC tagging along with the canon. Hope you guys liked it!  
**


	6. In the Hands of the Enemy

**A/N: THIS CHAPTER IS SHOOOOORT. I needed to get it on FF and off of my damn computer, this writers block is driving me insane. Hopefully it'll give you guys some sort of fix until chapter seven is released, probably within the next few weeks.**

* * *

Dear_ Mother,_

_It's been so long since I've seen you and Kuzon and Riza. And about that job in Omashu... I'm afraid I don't have it anymore; I've traded my apron in for traveling with the Avatar! (But don't tell anyone I said that.) It's been crazy; we fought Avatar Roku's old fire sages, got this awesome waterbending scroll from pirates, (technically we stole it...) and offed some "freedom fighters" who were trying to kill a village full of innocent people. We crossed The Great Divide with two idiotic tribes, and we're outside Taku right now. We're heading for the Northern Water Tribe to teach Aang how to waterbend, but I'll be back in Ba Sing Se before you know it. I promise. Tell Kuzon I said hi, and that I'll be back with some awesome new toys from all around the Earth Kingdom. Oh, and tell Riza that she better not be hanging out with that kid Hong Lan...not at least until I get back. I need to keep my eye on him... Anyway, I love all of you, and I'll see you sooner rather than later!_

_ Luzon_

_P.S. When you're done reading this and finish up showing Riza and Kuzon, burn it. Thanks Mother!_

_P.P.S Riza, stop snooping in Mom's mail! Don't you dare think I forgot about the time you ratted on me for cutting class after the note came in the mail. And I mean it when I say, DONT SEE THAT KID. Love you._

I smile, sealing the letter and giving it to a messenger hawk perched on my shoulder, waiting expectantly for my letter, and some food. I place the letter in the canister on it's back, and feed it a little treat.

"Remember now, as fast as you can, and try your best to deliver the letter without anybody in Ba Sing Se seeing you," I say to the hawk. It caws in response, and I give it another treat before it takes off, soaring high towards the Earth Kingdom capital.

We're in the town of Shuyan, a small Earth Kingdom community in the Northwest region of the country. The ruins of the town of Taku are just a few miles North, destroyed by a cataclysmic fire about 50 years ago, and never rebuilt. The ashes in that city are in the past, a half-century ago, and yet still frozen in time. Aang wanted to see it because apparently it had been a very nice town before the war.

Sokka is going insane. He's really sick, probably from the storm a week ago, and it's not getting any better. He's having hallucinations, saying the dumbest shit, and overall being a pain. It's hard to believe, but Sokka is even more stupid than before. He's like a walking clown, except his jokes got old awhile ago, and he's acting more like a psychotic drug addict. Katara made us promise to give him some rest when we reached Taku, which Aang and I happily agreed to.

"Luzon! Luzon! Come here, look at this!" Sokka yells frantically. He's jumping up and down and pointing at something in the distance, and I know it's just another hallucination.

I sigh and walk over to Sokka; just need to get this over with.

"What is it this time Sokka?" I grumble.

"What do you mean, 'what is it?' There's an absolutely huge rabbit-monkey in those woods, and he just ate a tree! A tree! I thought I had a big appetite, but this guy, man oh man, his stomach is like the equivalent of Katara's soul! Empty and hollow!" Sokka cries deliriously.

Katara lashes a whip of water over at Sokka, hitting him in the face, and knocking him off of his wobbly feet.

"That was a cheap shot Sokka!" Katara calls angrily.

"Cheap shot? You're the one who just hit a sick human being across the face!" Sokka cried.

Evidently, this quarrel was too much for Sokka to handle, as his eyelids began to droop, and he fell face first onto the ground. Katara shrieked in laughter and I just shook my head, feeling sorry for Sokka in this condition. I knelt down and shook his shoulder, trying to see if he was conscious or not.

"Sokka? Hey, you okay?" I said softly. There was no response, but he was still breathing.

"Well, since you obviously can't go anywhere, looks like I have to take matters into my own hands," I mutter to myself.

"Is Sokka alright?" Aang asked.

"Oh he's fine, just exhaustion, probably a lack of sleep because of whatever virus he has," I explain. "Alright then buddy, up you go," I say, picking Sokka's limp body up and hoisting him over my shoulders.

"He's heavier than I thought," I say, struggling to stay upright with Sokka on my shoulders.

"Let's get a move on then, don't want Luzon to have to carry Sokka around here," Aang says.

We begin walking in the direction of Taku, which is about six miles to the Northwest. We decided that, due to increased Fire Nation patrols in the area, and the relatively short distance to Taku, that we just walk. Now I'm regretting agreeing to that, with Sokka on my back. But if it avoids getting into another fight with Fire Nation soldiers, I guess I'll go along with it.

After about an hour of walking, the scorched remains of Taku are just around the corner. My legs feel like they're about to implode, and I lost feeling in my shoulders a few miles back. I'm lucky that I trained so much with Iroh back in the day or I would've collapsed a long time ago while carrying Sokka.

"You know, you could have just put Sokka on Appa's back and avoid having to do this," Katara points out.

"I'm... I'm fine, besides, I needed a workout" I gasp, about to succumb to the weight.

"You don't look like it," Katara says.

"We're outside Taku already, I can manage," I say, just before my right leg buckles and Sokka and I crumble to the ground.

"Doesn't look like it," Aang reaffirms.

I groan, before hauling Sokka and myself onto Appa's back, and I fall into the grasp of exhaustion, falling asleep almost immediately.

I wake up to the cackle and sparks of the campfire. Sokka is conscious again, although still delirious by the sounds of it.

"The fire, it's so hot! Turn it off!" Sokka cries.

"Sokka, you're shivering, you need to stay by the fire," Katara coughs.

"Hypothermia," I note.

"What do you mean?" Aang asks.

"That's a classic sign of hypothermia. When your body temperature is dangerously low, it actually feels like you're burning up. I've read about it in books and journals. People that are freezing to death take their clothes off to cool off, when in reality it kills them even faster. Whatever you do, don't let Sokka get away from the fire or take any of his clothes off. It might kill him," I explain.

A look of shock and worry falls over Katara's face, and she gives Sokka her parka to wear. Sokka looks like one of those seal things that they have at the South Pole.

"Be careful Katara, you look pretty bad also. You need to keep warm yourself," I warn.

"I'll be fine. We just need a cure for this... disease, sickness, whatever the hell you want to call it. Sokka isn't getting any better," Katara says weakly.

"I know, I'll go out in the morning to look for something," Aang says, reassuring Katara.

"Yeah, no." I scoff. There's absolutely no way Aang can risk scouting alone in these woods. Fire Nation patrols are crawling through these parts, and they'll have an absurd amount of numbers now that they know that we're somewhere within the Northwest Earth Kingdom.

"I can handle myself," Aang says, brushing me off.

"Oh really? Tell me, how do you plan on getting through these woods?" I ask.

"On my air scooter."

"And that's why you won't be going," I say firmly.

"What does me traveling on my air scooter have anything to do with it?" Aang says defensively.

"I've seen how fast you go on that thing. Knowing you, you'll just speed on through the woods, yelling and screaming "YEEAH!" You might as well be turning yourself in to the Firelord."

Aang groans in defeat and flops down onto Appa's fur.

"Fine, you win. But if you don't come back soon, I'm heading out there to find you, whether you like it or not," Aang demands.

"I'm okay with that. I won't get caught, I know Fire Nation patrol tactics and the make-up of each unit. I'll be in and out before you know it," I say, trying my best to reassure Aang.

He nods before dozing off to sleep. It's just me and my thoughts now, beside the dying campfire. The sparks and embers shoot out every few seconds in a cackling spray. Maybe I should leave now. Everybody's asleep and I can move under the cover of darkness; firebenders are particularly weak at night, especially at around midnight.

I grab my knife and quietly stalk out of our camp, moving as silently as I can. Using the stars as my guide, along with knowledge of the terrain, I move West towards the nearest river. The moon illuminates the ground in front of me just enough that I don't have to use my bending, reducing the risk of being caught by a stray patrol. In about 30 minutes, I reach the river. The quiet flow of the water gives the landscape a very serene feeling, and I take a moment to sit down on a rock and relax. The sound of the cool blue water flowing smoothly over the rocks, ground down flat by hundreds of years of water streaming over their tops.

I walk down to the edge of the stream and pick two flowers from the ground. "Red Lutin's" my mother would call them. Known for extensive healing properties and the ability to cure almost any sickness. I stick them in my pocket and turn around to head back towards camp. _Easy enough,_ I thought. Job was done in less than an hour, Sokka and Katara will be up to speed in about a day, and we can continue our journey to the North Pole- without a hitch in the road.

I smiled, and before I knew it, I was trapped. I stepped on a snare that was set up next to a tree. My ankle was completely ensnared and the knot was tied tightly.

"Fuck!" I yelled loudly, causing birds in the trees to scatter.

I tried to slash through the rope with my knife. It didn't even make a slight cut. I tried burning the rope off; and it was _fire proof._

"Fire Nation trap..." I muttered. I punched the tree in frustration. How the hell could I be so careless? I made it a point to tell Aang to be careful in the woods, and I end up getting caught by something that I knew was already there. How fucking ironic.

I struggled frantically, trying to get my ankle out of this goddamn trap. It's no use. I scream in defeat and slump down against the tree trunk waiting for my captors to arrive and take me to some hellhole. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I run into Zhao. _Again._ Slimy little fuck always turns up wherever we go, and if I'm going to be taken to authority, that authority is going to be Commander Zhao.

A flare is fired into the sky, almost right above my head, and I can see about 20 men in the North about 200 yards away. There's screaming and hollering, and the sounds get closer, louder. Arrows pierce the night sky, embedding themselves violently in the nearby tree trunks.

"We got one!" a voice hollers. Yeah, you got me alright you assholes. They better put me in some damn strong restraints, because I'm not going down without a fight.

The archers come clear into view, a good 20 of them, and I recognize their symbols and face paint.

"Ah, the Yuyan Archers I see? Colonel Shinu must be pulling out all the stops," I say sarcastically.

"Shut up, you fucking traitor," one of the archers spits, punching me in the face.

"Hey, didn't your sensei teach you about honor? Never hit a man when he's down!" I laugh, spitting out the fresh blood from my mouth.

"You're one to talk about honor," the archer says venomously, followed by punching me again.

I get the message and shut up, and the archers untangle me from the snare. Knowing better, and preferring prison to about 15 arrows in my back, I don't resist my captors. They load me onto the back of a war rhino and it slowly walks North.

"Let me guess, we're headed to Pohuai Stronghold?" I call to no one in particular.

"Yes, now shut the fuck up traitor," one of the archers responds, before kicking me in the ribs.

"Not in the talking mood I guess..." I mutter to myself.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, it was short. Yes we're going to prison. Yes I'm the worst updater in the world. And no, I will not give up on this. School is FINALLY OVER so I can devote a lot more of my time to this story, along with some other projects that I'm working on. **


	7. Escape Artists

_I'm breathing in, the catacombs_

_Breaking in, shaping up_

_Checking out of the prison bus_

_This is it, the apocalypse_

When I was little, Father would take me with him on his intelligence and advisory trips; I would go with him everywhere he went, including meeting rooms with the highest-ranking generals of Ozai's military. I always rode around on his shoulders, pointing at things like horse-rhino mounts, huge ships with smoke billowing out of their smoke stacks, soldiers with razor sharp spears and swords, itching to hack into an unfortunate earthbender. I was allowed to see all these things, and it was a five year old boy's dream. But the one thing that he would never allow me to do, no matter the circumstances or old I was, was to see the inside of the Fire Nation prisons. _It's for your own good, _he would say. Now I know why he barred me from getting even within 200 feet of a Fire Nation prison.

There's no bed in the cell, just the damp, cold stone floor. The floor is crawling with various types of bugs and disgusting organisms. It's almost painfully dark as well, with no natural light coming in from the outside and only single dim lamp hanging in the hallway. The guards toss me into the cell, which is probably going to be my residence for a good amount of time, at least until Aang shows up. _If _he shows up. I land onto the volatile floor face first, and I feel the grime and filth embed itself in my cheek. It's just so disgusting. Giving me one last kick in the ribs, one of the guards lets out a scoff and slams the cell door shut, cuffs still on my wrists.

"Oh, almost forgot," he laughs, before grabbing a rusty bucket from the shelf next to my cell.

He opens the door once more and tosses me the horrifying excuse for a bathroom. It smells like 300,000 year old shit and piss, and it's so strong that I almost puke in about five seconds. There's maggots crawling around in the bottom of the bucket as well. It's probably the most disgusting thing I've ever seen, growing up in the palace and all. I never even thought about what the hell goes on in these prisons; I just figured they were your standard, run of the mill type of place. Decent 10X10 cell, with a bed, and at least a toilet, like they have in the Earth Kingdom. But this is a fucking dungeon. I know for a fact that if I'm in here for an extended period of time I'm as good as dead. Escape is my only option, and I can't do it alone. I just have to hold out hope that Aang, or hell even Azula for that matter, gets me out of here. Probably the former though; Azula would probably love to see me rot in this god damn dungeon, struggling with every ounce of energy I had just to sit up every morning, choking down the grime that they try and pass as food.

She would say I deserved it. And if it were under different circumstances, she's probably right.

"Not much for entertainment here," I mutter to myself, before sitting down at the back corner of the cell.

I make a face of disgust as I lower closer to the vile floor, crawling with bugs that I don't want to find out about. Human interaction is out of the question, since I'm assuming whoever is running Pohuai, probably Zhao, has deemed me a high-profile prisoner. Naturally, that means being placed in isolation. So I'm alone in a 7x7 cell, no bed, nobody within 500 meters, and one source of light. This isn't what I imagined when I wrote Mother, claiming that I'm "traveling with the Avatar." Certainly less luxurious.

Since I've got nothing else to do, I close my eyes and just let my thoughts flow. Something to take my mind off my surroundings. I wonder what Azula's doing right now? Hmm.. it's about 11 o clock right now. She's either getting ready to take a bath or hanging out with Dao. It's Wednesday, so her bath soaps are going to be mint and lavender. Dao is going to try and force feed Azula with his notorious fire flakes. She's going to scream and threaten to banish him, and Dao will just laugh it off, as always. Her, being obsessed with punctuality, is probably right on schedule with all of this. _Man, _that just sounds creepy thinking about it. I remember what bath soaps she uses every day? I must really miss her...

I shake the emotional thoughts out of my head. There's no time for that now; first order of business is getting out of this godforsaken hellhole. I glance at the bars, and an idea runs through my head, and all of a sudden I feel like the dumbest kid in the fucking universe.

"That's metal. I have fire. Fire melts metal," I say, in the most obvious tone possible.

This is it! Freedom, and just like that. I smile broadly, realizing the fact that I'm going to get the hell out of here. I stand up and take a deep breath, closing my eyes and focusing. In one smooth motion, I blast flames out of my palms, concentrating as long as I can on scorching the metal bars open. After about 30 seconds of constant fire blasting, I withdraw the flames from my palms. Smiling, I kick the bars as hard as I can, expecting the melted metal to break in half, opening up a path for my escape.

Instead, I'm greeted with a hard clang, and a fucked up ankle. Grimacing in pain, I hit the ground hard. After a few curse-laden complaints, I crawl over to the bars and wrap my hand around one of them. They're as cold as ever; the fire didn't heat the bars by even a little, and they didn't deform at all.

"Should have known... whoever built this place isn't stupid. This is a special kind of metal, resistant to fire benders," I say to myself.

I let out a scream of defeat and futility. My despair echoes off the bleak walls of the dungeon, unheard by the souls who live on the outside. I'm totally alone, and if Aang doesn't find me soon, I know for a fact that I'm going to rot in here.

I sink back down to the floor, not caring about the grime and filth that is surrounding me. I need to keep my energy up as long as I can, and the only way to do that is to sleep. The food here is just the slop they feed to the pig-rats, so staying away from that as long as I can is a must. Plus that means I don't need to use the bucket as often... Shuddering at the thought, I squeeze my eyes shut and try and catch at least a sliver of sleep, holding out hope that Aang or Azula would come to my rescue.

* * *

_I'm riding on the back of a horse-rhino. There's cuffs on my wrists. Guards and benders are flanked to the left and right of me, some wielding swords, others wielding maces or spears. There are people, civilians, walking along with us. They seem to be shouting obscenities at me._

_"Coward!"_

_ "You deserve to die, traitorous scum!"_

_ "Good thing you're the last one of that pitiful family that we have to put down!"_

_ W-what? Mother, Father, Kuzon, Riza, they're not dead. Right? They were just with me a few days ago. This isn't right. What's going on here?_

_ The parade turns right, and suddenly I'm in the heart of the Fire Nation Royal Palace. The crowd that has gathered in the courtyard starts screaming wildly. The main event is just minutes away. I'm about to be executed for treason, just as my family must have been just days before. It all feels like a blur. About 100 meters ahead, I can see a throne, along with an executioner's stand. Sitting on the throne is none other than Firelord Ozai. To his left, Prince Zuko, and to his right, none other than Princess Azula. The procession grinds to a halt, and one of the soldiers escorts me off of the horse-rhino mount. My wrists still bound, I'm led to the execution block, where I'm forced to kneel right in front of the throne. Zuko and Azula don't even acknowledge my presence. _

_ "Welcome! Welcome my subjects, to this grand occasion!" Ozai booms, rising to his feet. _

_ The crowd lets out a deafening roar of approval, anxiously anticipating my impending doom._

_ "As many of you know, the family of my most trusted advisor, Ling, committed an act that was absolutely intolerable. They abandoned their country for reasons that we do not know. Such a shameful and disrespectful act shall not go unpunished. As of today, the fifth and final member of this treasonous family shall pay for his deeds, with his life! His name is Luzon, eldest son of Ling and mastermind behind his family's betrayal to the Earth Kingdom. I hereby sentence him to death!" _

_ Another thunderous roar erupts from the crowd of thousands gathered in the Royal courtyard. Various chants begin to make their way through the gathering, ranging from "kill him!" to "traitor!" I try and steal a glance from Zuko or Azula, trying to get either one of them to help me. Zuko is my best friend, he can't let this happen, can he? Azula... she's my girlfriend. This is either tearing her apart inside or she's truly a sadistic, insane bitch. Worrying about that isn't going to do anything if I can't get them to get me off the chopping block. _

_ Ozai stands in front of me, and I can't help but look up at him. He looks down at me and smirks, like I'm some helpless rabbit-dog, expecting me to beg for my life, trying to enjoy every second of me pleading. That isn't going to happen. I glare up at him, staring the Firelord down with no respect at all, accepting my fate, willing to join the rest of my family in the spirit world. This visibly angers him, as his fists clench and small hints of smoke emit from his nostrils, the result of his anger and his immense power._

_ "You thought that by getting involved with my daughter would save your petty life. You thought wrong, boy," Ozai growled. _

_ I continued to stare daggers at him, refusing to respond to anything that he might possibly say to me. The Firelord eventually turns back towards the crowd._

_ "As you can also see, Prince Zuko and Princess Azula have joined me for this special occasion. Now, I hereby sentence this young man, Luzon, to death by... electrocution!" Ozai roared. _

_ What? Electrocution? That means... I looked over to Azula, and we were locked in each others gaze. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion, empty, like they were staring right through mine. She was broken inside, like a zombie doing what her father wishes. Azula was going to execute me. My girlfriend was going to kill me._

_ "Princess Azula, you have the honors." Ozai said, before sitting back down on his throne, watching eagerly. _

_ Azula walked up to me slowly, gracefully, without uttering a single word. She gently pushed my head down, so I wouldn't have the honor and dignity of dying with my head held high. I close my eyes, accepting my fate. Behind me, I can hear the electric current slowly forming around her fingertips, ready to make the killing blow. In a matter of seconds, Azula had a long streak of blue lightning woven around her fingers, and just as quickly as she formed it, she drove her fingers straight into my neck._

* * *

"Hey! Are you alright in there?" a guard asks. I'm drenched in sweat, and no matter how weird it sounds, I'm actually relieved to be in my dungeon cell.

"Yeah... I'm fine, why are you here anyways?" I say groggily, just awakened from my nightmare.

"We heard screaming, but none of the other guards cared enough to check it out. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay," he said.

"Yeah, well that's awfully nice of you," I mutter. Why the hell would he care if I was okay? I'm rotting in a prison cell.

"I know what you're thinking. 'What does he care about the traitor?' The only reason I'm down here is to let you know that I support you. I support the Avatar, and I'm going to do the best I can to get you out of here. When you and your family left, it really opened people's eyes around the Fire Nation. There are people that have opposed Ozai's reign for quite some time, but they needed some sort of confidence that they could get out. Your abandonment left people with that confidence, myself included. Your father is ostracized in the Capitol, as well as in the palace, but the Firelord insists on keeping him around as his number one advisor, and only Ozai has a logical reason for that," the guard said.

At least Father is okay, it had been in the back of my mind for weeks ever since we had the confrontation with the firebenders back in the Earth Kingdom town. I just hope he'll hang on until Aang and I can get him out of there. But hearing about how people have the confidence to rebel against the Fire Nation worries me. There is absolutely no way ordinary citizens with the desire for freedom would be able to stack up against an army of firebenders and warriors. They would be scorched and cut to pieces, and their blood would be on my hands. It's Aang, Katara, Sokka, and my fight. Nobody needs to die because of me leaving.

"Look, I had no intentions of being some sort of revolutionary. We just wanted out, for personal reasons you know? I didn't give a shit about how other people felt about Ozai, because as far as I knew, they were brainwashed minions that have been following that family ever since Sozin," I said, irritated.

"It doesn't matter if you view yourself as a revolutionary or not, I'm going to get you out of here."

"Well it can't be that hard, can it? You have the key, now unlock the door," I say.

The guard sighed, pulling up a chair to sit on. "It's not that easy. There's a rotating shift of guards who are supposed to watch you. You're at Pohuai Stronghold, and you're our most valuable prisoner. We can't just have lackluster security around Luzon the traitor. Zhao's orders," the guard explained.

"I figured Zhao was running this place. Is he here?" I ask.

"Yeah, he's here. He's actually scheduled to interrogate you two days from now," the guard says.

"So that means I need to get to get out of here before then, right?" I ask. There's no way in hell I could break out in two days.

"Yeah, that's right. You and I both know that isn't realistically possible."

"What's your name anyway, and how old are you?" I ask.

"I'm Chan, and I'm 23," he responds.

"Well, I think we're shit out of luck," I sigh. There had to be some way to forge a good escape plan in two days, but the security here is so tight, everything is monitored and it's hard to get around without somebody knowing what you're up to. Unless...

"Do you have keys to the cell and to the cuffs?" I ask.

"Uh, yeah, why?" he shrugged.

"If you can get those keys, and unlock my cuffs, I think we might just be able to get out of here on the date of the interrogation."

"What do you mean?" Chan asked, a confused look on his face.

"When they take me out of this godforsaken hellhole to the interrogation room, that's when I'll bust loose. Keep the cuffs on my wrists, but loose enough to break out of," I explain, a smirk growing on my face.

"Sounds simple enough," Chan mutters.

"But it gets even better. Can you get into the armory? Any place that has swords?"

"Yeah, I can do that. What does this have to with anything?" Chan says, puzzled.

"I'm going to kill Zhao in that room," I seethe. "Chan, you're going to plant a sword in the desk and I'll kill him with it."

Chan pales at my statement, and I don't blame him. Killing one of the highest-ranked officers in the entire Fire Nation would be a daunting and incredible task, something that would shake the very foundations of the Fire Nation military. It's something that excites me. Killing that lowly piece of shit would be a dream come true. I just need to hope that it's Chan's dream as well.

"Is that something you would be willing to do?" I ask sternly.

"Y-yeah, it is. Wouldn't that mean I would have to leave the Fire Nation as well?" he says, his voice shaking just slightly. I nod.

"Have any family?" I ask, with a softer tone than before.

"My mother and my little brother, that's it," he says quietly.

"When we get out of here, find them, and go with them to 572 Lu Xiao Road in Ba Sing Se, and that I sent you. You won't have to worry," I say reassuringly.

"But first thing's first, we need to get the hell out of here."

Footsteps approach loudly, and I can hear a large steel door opening. Obviously some guards trying to figure out why Chan is taking so long.

"Chan, what the hell? You've been down here forever, and the Pai Sho tournament is starting in five minutes!" the guard explained.

"Don't tell me your fraternizing with the enemy? Come on, let the traitor rot!" the guard sneered.

"You're right. I'll head back up," Chan said. Just as he and the guard walked off, Chan give me a quick nod of assurance, that the plan would go on as expected.

Now all I had to do was wait for 48 hours. That's when I would break out of this prison, and finally get to kill Zhao. I couldn't suppress the feeling of excitement, no matter how hard I tried. And despite my bleak surroundings, I was actually happy. I just hope that Chan can plant that sword and make sure nobody gets word of our plan. The both of us would probably be executed immediately. Our fate rests in his hands now, and although in the past I would always prefer to choose my own destiny, I think that Chan is capable enough of pulling this off.

I try to pass the time the best I can, in between sleeping for a couple of hours at a time, I daydream about Azula, or think about some of the stories Mother would tell me when I was little. My favorite story was the one she told me of the two lovers from the Fire Nation. That no matter the circumstances or hardships, the man would always rejoin his true love in the end. That in the night sky, two stars with very odd patterns could be seen. Sometimes one of the stars would be entirely on the other side of the sky, but eventually, they would be reunited in the midnight air. That story was always my favorite, and it doesn't fail to make me smile every time I think of it, no matter how bleak my situation may be.

The day is finally here. I wake up to the sound of yelling outside my cell, and I can just make out the words 'Avatar' and 'captured.' My eyes widen in shock at the possible fact that Aang had been captured trying to rescue me? That just made things a whole lot more complicated... If Aang was captured as well, I would have to kill Zhao, make sure Chan gets out okay, and get Aang out as well. It's hard enough to get out here by myself, but all of this has turned The Great Escape into The Hellish Nightmare. I just hope I'll get out alive.

A few minutes later Chan comes down to my cell, unlocking the door. He nods to me and I turn around, allowing him to unlock my restraints. I had lost all feeling in my arms a long time ago, so it took about ten minutes of constant massaging and weird motions that made me look like I was trying to fly to get about 75 percent of my previous mobility back in my extremities.

"Is it true that they captured the Avatar?" I ask solemnly.

"Yeah, they brought him in last night," Chan says frustratedly.

I close my eyes, trying not to let out a scream of frustration, but instead, I just take a few deep breaths, desperately trying to maintain my composure. I needed to be 100 percent there mentally if I wanted everybody out of this place alive.

"Okay, we'll figure something out," I sighed. "Meet me in front of where he's being held. If I'm not there in 10 minutes, bust him out of there. I'll do my best to join you guys on the way out, and if by some reason I can't he's more than able to take on the guards of this place," I say, reassuring Chan.

"The sword is in the desk by the way. It's not a big heavy one, but it has a curved blade, and it's real light, good for fighting on your feet," Chan explains.

"Good, I've always preferred those over those huge shit rods, it's like trying to kill someone with an oversized pipe or something," I laugh.

"I know that feeling," Chan says, a broad smile on his face.

It's always good to have a bit of lighthearted conversation before doing something as crazy as we're about to do. It rests your nerves, and puts your mind in a more relaxed state. More efficient in battle, Iroh would tell me. That's why he's so fond of tea; it actually makes him a better bender, believe it or not.

"It's time for me to take you up. Put your hands back in the cuffs," Chan instructs. I nod and he slips them back over my wrists, albeit as loose as possible without them falling off my wrists.

He escorts me out of my cell and up the stairs where there is yet another iron door which leads to the rest of the stronghold; my cell was the only one in the entire section- total isolation. We walk down two hallways and make a left turn and then a right turn before we arrive at the interrogation room.

"Okay, the place where the Avatar is being held is down this hall, and at the end of the next hall to your right. I'll see you there. The sword is in the desk in the main drawer. Good luck," Chan says, before pushing me into the interrogation room.

"Look who we have here. Sit down, I'd like to have a little chat with you," Zhao sneers.

I obey his orders, sitting down in the metal chair in front of him. It's a bleak room, the walls are bare, there's only a single window, along with the chair I'm sitting in and the desk in the middle of the room, containing files and documents key to my interrogation.

"I'm going to get straight to the point. You tell me where the fuck the rest of your shitty excuse for a family is and I might let you live," Zhao grimaces, lighting fire around his fists.

"No."

My simple response incensed Zhao, and the fire around his hands grew exponentially.

"You're going to tell me, right fucking now, or else I'll turn you into ash!" he seethed. I thought either has head would fly off, or he might have an aneurysm he was so mad.

"Do you not know what 'no' means?" I say calmly.

This sent Zhao over the edge. He lunged at me with a fist bathed in scarlet fire, but I knew it was coming. I delivered a strong kick to his jaw, knocking the Commander off of his feet. I sprinted up from my chair and fumbled my hands through the desk drawer, desperately trying to gain a grip on the hilt of the sword. I whisked the sword out from the desk, just as Zhao frantically fired a clumsy blast with his fist. I dodge with ease, and drive the blade through his abdomen. Zhao makes a sort of guttural wheezing sound as I drive the sword deeper through his stomach. Blood stains my clothes and face, as the life slowly evaporates from the once proud Commander.

"I always read your field reports that my Father collected about you. 'Very proficient bender, but struggles in close-quarters situations.' Glad those intelligence reports proved accurate, don't you think?" I smirked.

"Y-you won't get away with this, justice will be swift, vermin..." Zhao wheezed, struggling to form coherent sounds as he continued to slip away.

"By the way, my family is in Ba Sing Se. It seems as if you successfully interrogated the traitor, the last crowning achievement of Commander Zhao. Too bad they'll have to give you your awards on a casket," I whisper, before withdrawing the sword from Zhao's lifeless body.

I exit the interrogation room, and there's nobody around, not even any guards. Where the hell is everybody? I walk slowly in the direction of where Aang is being held. As I turn the corner, I'm face to face with the Blue Spirit.

"Zuko, what the fuck are you doing here?" I whisper, drawing my sword.

"Shut the hell up Luzon, I'm here to help," Zuko seethed.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You tried to get Aang last time, what makes this any different?" I say, trying to keep my voice as low as possible.

"I can't let Zhao take him, or else my Father will never accept me," Zuko explains.

Realization dawns on me. The only reason why he came to rescue Aang was to capture him himself, and to make sure Zhao didn't close off Zuko's last possible entrance to the Fire Nation palace. If I tell him that I just murdered Zhao, then Zuko has no reason to save the Avatar for a later time.

"I-I don't know where Zhao is, but he'll be here soon, now get Aang so we can get out of here," I snap.

"There's a grate down the hallway to your left, wait there and make sure no guards are left alive if they see you," Zuko orders.

I nod before racing to the location Zuko mentioned. After five minutes, which seemed like an hour, of waiting, Aang, Zuko, and Chan round the corner. Zuko is disguised in his Blue Spirit mask and has been completely silent ever since my altercation with him. He brings a finger to his lips when the other two aren't looking, and I nod in acknowledgment. We climb down into the grate and descend what seems to be like a secret exit or something. Whatever it is, it probably leads to freedom outside the stronghold.

"Luzon! Boy am I glad to see you! I knew something was up when you weren't back in the morning. When I went out looking for you, I found these frozen frogs that were supposed to heal Sokka and Katara. Then I got captured..." Aang explains to me.

"Yeah, well, I found the Red Lutin, a flower with almost universal healing properties, and I just wasn't paying attention. Got caught by the simplest trick in the book; the ankle snare," I say in embarrassment, rubbing the back of my neck.

"This is Chan by the way, without him I wouldn't be able to get out of the dungeon I was in," I say, introducing the young Avatar to the former guard.

"It's an honor to meet you Avatar Aang," Chan says humbly.

"The honor is mine," Aang says just as modestly.

"Remember the address Chan."

We kept walking through the passageway until it came to an end, with a ladder leading up to a hole covered by another grate. We climbed up the ladder, and I never was happy to see the blinding light of freedom.

The Blue Spirit took off as soon as he had arrived, dissapearing swiftly into the forest.

"Who was that?" Aang asked incredulously.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Tell me!"

"Zuko."

Aang froze in his tracks, with a look of pure astonishment and shock on his face.

"Zuko?! Why the heck would he save me from a Fire Nation prison?" Aang yelled.

"Simple. Zhao had you, and in order for Zuko to regain his honor, he had to be the one to capture you. Just strategy," I said calmly.

"And where's Zhao now?" Aang asked frantically.

"Dead. I killed him."

"What?! You killed Zhao? How?!"

"With a sword."

"Jeez Luzon... you're pretty ruthless aren't you."

"Only when I need to be," I say monotonously.

Chan waves goodbye to us at the nearby intersection, going to find his family as quick as he can. I give him the address of my family house in Ba Sing Se once more, and we share a firm handshake, promising to see each other in Ba Sing Se for a drink.

Aang and I walk for about an hour in the opposite direction, eventually reaching our camp. I grab the Red Lutin's from the stream and crush the petals, mixing them with Katara and Sokka's food. Aang and I have to basically force-feed the Water Tribe siblings, but after a few hours, they're both cleansed of whatever sickness they had.

"Damn Luzon, what did you give us?" Sokka asked.

"Red Lutin. It's a flower that grows around here with incredible healing properties," I say.

"Well at least we're okay. I couldn't deal another day of this idiot blabbering off about what he saw in the forest, or how amazing babies are whenever they're about to go to the bathroom," Katara says, rolling her eyes.

"I'm gonna miss that humor of yours Sokka," I laugh.

"Hey, it's still here! Just better, and more coherent!"

"And not as good..." I mumble.

"Hey! I heard that!"

**A/N: Well it's been awhile (again) but I hope you enjoyed the latest installment. I realized early on that this story would be boring as hell if all I wrote about was Luzon just tagging along with canon events. There had to be some divergence, right? So what better way to divert the story by offing the main antagonist of the first book early! ********It'll set up some rather...interesting events for the Northern Water Tribe. **It kinda seems like Luzon did Zhao in a little too easily, but I couldn't wrap my head around a full-blown firebending fight in a small room. So I just went with the planted sword and escape plan. What do you guys think of Chan? Read and review, eh.


End file.
